Telangana Chief Secretary Warns Peak El Nino Impact Expected Till February

Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju on Thursday warned that the impact of the El Nino weather pattern is currently severe and will reach its peak until February. He noted that the phenomenon has affected the southwest monsoon and pushed temperatures up by two to three degrees Celsius. Speaking during field visits in Sangareddy alongside Collector Prateek Jain to inspect the Singur project, Jaju stated that providing electricity will not help because groundwater levels have dropped sharply, prompting orders to prioritize drinking water supply.

Official Measures

Officials from different departments must work together to protect standing crops for the next 15 to 20 days. Water levels have also fallen in the Manjeera project, leading the Chief Secretary to plan a meeting on backup plans to secure drinking water for Hyderabad, Medak, Sangareddy, Nizamabad, and Kamareddy. These visits follow a plan made on Tuesday to supply the core urban region of Hyderabad with an extra 60 million gallons of water per day. As of Tuesday, the total available water across major sources including Himayat Sagar, Osman Sagar, Manjeera, Krishna, and Godavari rivers stood at 560 million gallons per day.

Water Restrictions

Authorities have issued new rules to prevent water waste, directing residents not to use supply from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board for washing vehicles. Gated communities have been told to use treated water from Sewerage Treatment Plants for gardening and other non-domestic tasks.

Context

El Nino is a natural climate cycle that causes warming in the Pacific Ocean and often disrupts normal rainfall patterns in many parts of the world, including India's monsoon. When groundwater and reservoir levels drop due to poor rainfall, local governments typically step in to restrict non-essential water use and redirect supplies toward drinking and basic needs.