Drought warnings and irrigation promises collided in one constituency on Saturday, 7 November 2026, when Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy inaugurated a Rythu Mela — a direct farmer-scientist interaction fair — at Hakimpet in Daoulthabad Mandal, Kodangal constituency, and issued a pointed advisory to cultivators to pivot toward rain-fed crops ahead of an anticipated dry season.

What the CM told farmers at Hakimpet

Speaking at the fair, Revanth Reddy addressed the assembly of adarsha rytulu (model farmers) and agricultural scientists, guiding them on crop priorities, irrigation needs, and regional development. His central warning was direct: with El Niño conditions raising the probability of drought, farmers should prioritise arutadi pantalu — dry-land or rain-fed crops that require fewer irrigation cycles. 'The government will stand by farmers in every situation,' he said, underscoring a no-abandon commitment irrespective of climatic stress.

The Rythu Mela format — face-to-face sessions between cultivators, scientists, and officials — has become a preferred outreach tool for successive Telangana governments seeking to close the gap between field-level problems and policy responses. At its core, Saturday's event was about translating anxiety over water scarcity into actionable, season-specific guidance.

Palamuru irrigation backlog and the promise to accelerate

Palamuru, the drought-prone belt covering parts of Mahbubnagar district in southern Telangana, has carried the weight of pending lift-irrigation projects across multiple administrations. Revanth Reddy reiterated at the event that his government is 'speeding up irrigation project works' to resolve the long-standing water hardships of Palamuru farmers — a commitment the Congress government first anchored after winning the December 2023 Telangana elections. The specific projects were not named in the post, and their completion timelines remain to be formally announced.

Southern Telangana's irrigation deficit is not new. Since statehood in 2014, both the BRS and now the Congress dispensation have flagged lift-irrigation schemes in Mahbubnagar and neighbouring districts as priority infrastructure — with actual on-ground progress remaining a persistent electoral flashpoint.

Kodangal as a model constituency — the larger ambition

Beyond the immediate drought advisory, Revanth Reddy framed Kodangal — the constituency he represents as a sitting MLA — as a planned showcase for the state. He said the government is working to develop Kodangal as a national model in education and industry, signalling an intent to anchor investment and institutional development in his own political home ground. That dual pitch — relief for the struggling farmer today, transformational development tomorrow — defined the thematic arc of the event.

The El Niño angle deserves context. The phenomenon periodically suppresses south-west monsoon rainfall across the Indian subcontinent, with southern peninsular states among the most exposed. A state government advising crop-pattern shifts ahead of the rabi season, rather than waiting for a formal drought declaration, reflects a sharper early-warning posture — and politically, a visible attempt to be seen acting before a crisis fully materialises.