Telangana declares 365 mandals drought-affected, of which 111 severely drought-affected

The Telangana government has declared 365 mandals in 31 districts drought-affected for the 2026 kharif season following deficient rainfall and prolonged dry spells during the southwest monsoon.

The G.O. issued to this effect classifies 111 mandals as severely drought-affected and 254 as moderately drought-affected. It will remain in force for six months.

According to the government order, Telangana received a cumulative rainfall of 615.5 mm against the normal 740.6 mm between June 1 and September 30, a deficit of 17%. The shortfall was attributed to the impact of emerging and strengthening El Niño conditions, weak Bay of Bengal low-pressure systems and prolonged dry spells.

The drought assessment found that the kharif crop area in 18 of the State’s 33 districts had been affected. The area under paddy cultivation declined by 18%, from 69.19 lakh acres to 57 lakh acres, while the overall kharif crop area fell from 139.28 lakh acres to 126.06 lakh acres.

The order also noted that live storage in major and medium irrigation reservoirs stood at 179.63 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), against a capacity of 585 TMC, raising concerns over drinking water availability, agriculture, livestock and power supply.

The government said the declaration followed a scientific assessment based on rainfall data, dry-spell records, crop-sown area shortfall, vegetation condition, soil moisture and groundwater indicators. Ground-level sample surveys and field verification were also taken into account.

District Collectors have been directed to initiate relief measures immediately. These include agricultural input subsidies through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), augmentation of drinking water supplies, fodder arrangements, cattle camps wherever required and employment generation under the Employment Guarantee scheme.

The Agriculture and Cooperation department has been instructed to ensure that input subsidies reach eligible affected farmers through DBT within one month of receiving Central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Beneficiary lists are to be published on the websites of the respective District Collectors and the State government.

The order also directs the officials to seek Central assistance under the NDRF, submitting the prescribed assessment details and village-level data for severely drought-affected mandals within seven days.

District Collectors, along with officials of the Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Civil Supplies departments, have been asked to maintain beneficiary registers, monitor relief expenditure and submit progress reports to the Revenue (Disaster Management) department.

The government order follows a review by the Cabinet subcommittee on the impact of El Niño and drought conditions on October 23. It also refers to a resolution adopted by the Telangana Legislative Assembly on September 18, urging the Centre to provide drought relief and additional support to the State.

Nalgonda and Sangareddy are the worst affected with 28 mandals followed by Suryapet (23), Adilabad and Vikarabad (20 each), Rangareddy and Nizamabad (18 each). The combined Nalgonda district is the worst affected with 68 mandals declared drought-affected.