SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Friday, October 23, warned that the drought conditions will continue for the next 8-10 months and urged farmers to cultivate only dry crops and vegetables in view of the depletion of the water resources.
Meanwhile, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said political parties have a responsibility to stand by the people rather than criticise the government when the state is facing natural calamities.
They were speaking at a meeting organised by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) at Praja Bhavan. The meeting focused on creating awareness about El Nino and preparations for MLC elections.
Bhatti recalled how people responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeals during the COVID-19 pandemic by clapping, ringing bells and lighting lamps to express their support for the governments.
He said it was unfortunate that attempts were now being made to discredit the government when Telangana was facing deficient rainfall.
He stated that Telangana had received 27 per cent less rainfall than normal and that official reports indicated groundwater scarcity in 324 of the state’s 621 mandals.
He urged Opposition parties to offer constructive suggestions that would benefit the people instead of limiting themselves to criticism.
Groundwater scarcity in 324 mandals
The Deputy CM said the state has approximately 30 lakh agricultural pump sets, and officials estimate that groundwater levels have depleted in areas where nearly 15 lakh pump sets have been in use during the current month.
He explained that farmers were suffering financial losses as electric motors were getting damaged when operated in borewells with insufficient or no water.
To prevent such losses, he directed officials to create awareness among farmers about groundwater availability.
Alternative crops urged during Rabi season
With water levels declining in reservoirs across the Krishna and Godavari river basins, Bhatti Vikramarka said farmers should be encouraged to cultivate alternative crops recommended by the Agriculture Department instead of paddy during the upcoming Rabi season.
He advised farmers to plan their crops based on the availability of water.
He also pointed out that electricity consumption had increased significantly despite a decline in hydropower generation, with the state recording a peak electricity demand of 20,018 MW.
Special employment scheme to be introduced after Sankranti
The Chief Minister announced that a special scheme will be introduced after Sankranti for four months until May to provide daily employment to the workers.
In addition to funds received from the Central government, the state government will also spend a significant amount on this scheme, he said.
This initiative will be utilized to restore access paths to agricultural fields, as well as canals, ponds, and small water bodies. Work will be provided to every individual to ensure that everyone has food to eat, the CM said.
Ensuring drinking water for people is the top priority
The CM said that water storage in the projects was already reduced to less than 20 percent of their capacity and the available water is also not more than 200 TMC.
Some of the projects reached the dead storage levels. In the present circumstances, availability of water for irrigation has been ruled out to provide drinking water, he said.
He said that the government’s foremost priority in the coming days would be to ensure drinking water for people, livestock, birds and all other living beings.
He stressed the need to protect water resources and create widespread public awareness about conserving and using available water judiciously.
CM Revanth instructed the Cabinet sub-committee, along with officials at all levels, to ensure continuous monitoring of the supply of drinking water. A toll-free number will be provided to address the grievances, he said.
The CM warned that due to the scarcity of drinking water, a situation may arise where people are unable to even step out of their homes.
“We cannot tackle this drought without alerting the public and making them partners in our efforts”, CM Revanth said adding that the government has already constituted a cabinet sub-committee headed by Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka to address issues related to ‘El Niño’ and counter misinformation.
On MLC elections
Discussing the strategy to be adopted in the ensuing graduate MLC elections, CM Revanth Reddy said everyone must remain vigilant and register to vote.
In the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad constituency, only 36 per cent of the potential votes have been registered so far compared to previous figures. Nearly 64 per cent still remain to be registered.
The CM said that the leaders should ensure that every eligible voter gets registered.
SOURCE : SIASAT
