The Telangana government has constituted a cabinet sub-committee to review drought and El Niño conditions and recommend measures to protect drinking water supplies, particularly in rural areas. The panel will monitor conditions continuously and coordinate advance action before water shortages intensify.
The sub-committee was constituted through G.O.Rt. No. 1523 and is chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu. Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Tummala Nageswara Rao, Dasari Anasuya, also known as Seethakka, and Vakiti Srihar are members of the team.
According to the government decision reported by Deccan Chronicle, the panel’s immediate priority is to ensure that villages do not face drinking water problems. It will review water conditions across the state on an ongoing basis and recommend measures to respond to drought-related stress.
The government is also linking the response to the possible impact of El Niño conditions. The report states that reduced rainfall could place additional pressure on groundwater and water availability, making drinking water security a key area of attention. The supplied government measures do not specify a state-wide rainfall forecast, the number of potentially affected villages or a separate financial allocation for the response.
The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department has been assigned a significant role in water conservation. It is prioritising the construction and maintenance of percolation pits, farm ponds and seepage ponds to capture rainwater and support groundwater recharge.
These structures are intended to slow the loss of rainwater and help it soak into the ground. The department is working to identify and address rural water problems before summer, use available water sources efficiently and maintain an uninterrupted drinking water supply, according to the report.
The approach places drinking water security alongside local water conservation rather than treating the issue only as an emergency supply challenge. The cabinet sub-committee will review conditions and recommend further measures as the state assesses the effect of drought and El Niño conditions.
The government’s next steps are to continue monitoring water availability, coordinate action across departments and advance the construction and maintenance of groundwater-recharge structures before summer. The order does not state a deadline for the sub-committee’s recommendations or identify specific districts for its first review.
