320 Telangana mandals drought-hit – The Hindu

Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjau Jaju directed officials to prepare a comprehensive report declaring drought-hit mandals by the end of October. Officials have preliminarily identified severe drought conditions across 320 mandals in 18 districts triggered by the El Nino effect.

At a meeting held in Hyderabad on Tuesday, he said that besides the amount of rainfall received between June and September [Southwest Monsoon], 12 more indicators have to be considered to prepare the comprehensive report.  Mr. Jaju directed officials to gather data from Groundwater, Planning, Revenue, Agriculture, Panchayat Raj and Rural Water Supply departments to identify drought-affected mandals as per norms.  Earlier, the State Cabinet decided to constitute a sub-committee to find immediate measures needed in areas affected by El Niño conditions, and hold consultations with farmers’ association and experts before finalising the mitigation measures.