Hyderabad: Congress in-charge of Hyderabad lok sabha constituency and senior leader Mohammed Waliullah Sameer on Friday welcomed chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s proactive measures to address the El Niño-induced drought and expressed confidence that the Congress govt would protect Hyderabad’s residents, particularly vulnerable families in the Old City, from the anticipated water, heat and power crisis.In a statement, Sameer said the CM had demonstrated the seriousness of the situation by ensuring an all-party meeting on the issue and initiating contingency measures. He said prioritising drinking water, monitoring reservoirs and planning for a prolonged dry spell reflected responsible governance.“El Niño is a climatic phenomenon beyond any govt’s control. What matters is preparedness. CM Revanth has recognised the challenge well in advance. As Congress workers, our responsibility is to support these efforts and ensure that the concerns of vulnerable neighbourhoods receive attention,” he said.He noted that Telangana had declared 365 mandals drought-affected, including 111 severely and 254 moderately affected. Live storage in major and medium reservoirs had reportedly fallen to approximately 180 TMC against a combined capacity of 585 TMC.Sameer said strong El Niño conditions could persist into early 2027, potentially prolonging drinking water shortages, agricultural difficulties and electricity pressures. He appreciated the CM’s advance warning about possible challenges until July 2027, saying it provided an opportunity to strengthen preparedness rather than create panic.Highlighting the Old City’s vulnerabilities, he said densely populated neighbourhoods in Charminar, Yakutpura, Chandrayangutta, Bahadurpura, Malakpet and Saidabad required particular attention because many households depended entirely on govt water supplies and lacked adequate water-storage facilities.The Congress leader appreciated HMWSSB’s efforts to augment supplies from alternative sources amid declining reservoir storage and groundwater levels. He suggested that smaller water tankers, neighbourhood-level distribution points and advance supply schedules could help residents in narrow Old City lanes inaccessible to conventional tankers.
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