Telangana, Andhra reeling under heat wave

Telangana government, which is not keen to declare many mandals as drought-hit, has only made a token request to the Centre for assistance. “We have the best welfare budget, and massive irrigation works are underway and hence there is no need to declare drought and seek Centre's support which we know is not wholehearted,” CM had said

As both the Telugu states called April a ‘cruel month,’ experts warn that May is likely to be even worse. A scientific study has, in fact, attributed the soaring mercury levels for the third year running, to climate change. Global warming has increased the likelihood of a heat wave in the region from being a once-in-a-hundred-year event to a once-in-a-decade event. The study, ‘Raising Risk Awareness,’ presented by environmental experts at an international conference in New Delhi in February also blamed the extreme heat waves in the continent to what they termed “human-induced climate change…”

At least 176 people have died due to sunstroke in Telangana (90) and Andhra Pradesh (86) as of 20 April this summer. Thousands of animals have also died in the scorching heat… “As dog days are ahead, it is essential for people to avoid exposure to the sun and stay indoors,” said AP Home Minister Chinarajappa…

While unofficially the heat wave deaths were over 2,600 in 2015, they touched almost 2,000 in 2016. But the revenue administration has pegged it to just 450 in 2015 and about 320 in 2016. “To avoid payment of compensation to families of hapless heat wave victims by taking advantage of the loophole that such claimants should file an FIR first, the government is pegging down sunstroke deaths,” alleged YSR Congress MLC and spokesperson C Ramachandraiah.

How the two states are tackling drought

The Andhra Pradesh government has already declared 245 mandals as drought-hit in 2016 and prepared an action plan for provision of drinking water, fodder for animals and also ambali (gruel) centres to help the aged and the destitute. Naidu, experienced in handling drought and cyclones, has already pressurised the NDA government at the Centre to send funds and geared the administration to provide succour to the people. In Andhra Pradesh, the chief minister has already pushed proposals for Rs 1,200 crores for relief funds from the Centre and directed the disaster management department to take up activities on a war footing.

But the Telangana government, which is not keen to declare many mandals as drought-hit, has only made a token request to the Centre for assistance. Asked why Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao delayed the process, a senior IAS officer told Firstpost, “The state government wants to do better without Centre's assistance and hence show that it is not dependant on the NDA government.”

Following delay by Telangana government, Governor ESL Narasimhan summoned the Chief Secretary of Telangana Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (PR&RD) SP Singh and sought details of drought relief measures. The Secretary said that the Centre had given just Rs 100 crore for drought relief in 231 mandals of 31 districts. In 2016, the state sought Rs 3,064 crores from the Centre for drought relief but New Delhi sanctioned only Rs 791 crores, of which only Rs 400 crores has been released till date.

Telangana BJP state president K Laxman, though, blamed the state government for lack of focus on drought relief. “There is no point in blaming the Centre when you are lethargic. At least Rs 5 crores has to be spent in each mandal by Telangana government this year, if it wants to put an end to heat wave deaths,” he said…

Joint Action Committee chairman M Kodandaram said the situation was scary in all of Telangana’s districts where farmers were selling livestock, homes and land to make a living elsewhere. “Most farmers of Mahbubnagar, Warangal, Medak and Nalgonda districts have sold 70 per cent of their cattle to slaughtering houses near Hyderabad,” he said, blaming the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government for indifference and negligence. “Why does the TRS government not want to own up to the drought and provide succour to affected farmers?” he asked.

In response to this charge, senior officials in the Telangana Secretariat told this reporter that the government was of the view that after providing so many incentives to farmers and welfare programmes for the poor, it would become a laughing stock to cry drought… “We have the best welfare budget, and massive irrigation works are underway and hence there is no need to declare drought and seek Centre's support which we know is not wholehearted,” he (KCR) said at the recent plenary of the party in Hyderabad last week.

“Unless both states rise above petty politics and stop use of droughts and floods for political opportunism, the tragic conditions of the farmers and the poor will never change,” said a political analyst of Kurnool K Radhakrishna Rao…
Ironically, both states with abundant water resources, have failed to harness 14 rivers for meeting the drinking and irrigation needs of the people. “Almost 400 tmc feet of Godavari water flows as waste to the sea as it is not well harnessed in both Telangana and AP,” said late Vidyasagar Rao, who was a former chief engineer and irrigation advisor to the Telangana government.

By GS Radhakrishna