Telangana Ministers Call For Special Prayers Across All Religions For Monsoon Rains
In Hyderabad, Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has called for statewide special prayers across all religious places to seek divine blessings for better monsoon rains and the welfare of the state's farmers.
Prabhakar wrote letters to Minister Konda Surekha and Md. Azharuddin requesting spiritual interventions to overcome the adverse impact of El Niño. The minister requested Surekha to organize special homams and yagas at temples, while urging Azharuddin to facilitate special prayers at mosques, churches, and gurudwaras.
The call for prayers comes amid a 15 percent cumulative rainfall deficiency across Telangana. Between June 1 and July 8, the state recorded 156.7 mm of cumulative rainfall against the normal average of 185.4 mm.
According to data from the Telangana Development Planning Society, only four districts—Rangareddy, Nalgonda, Mulugu, and Nagarkurnool—recorded positive rainfall numbers. The remaining 29 districts in the state have received net negative rainfall.
While official metrics define "normal" rainfall as anywhere between a positive 19 percent and negative 19 percent deviation, a senior government official warned that these averages mask severe ground-level deficits. Out of 15 districts officially categorized as having "normal" rain, 10 actually recorded deficiencies.
For instance, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad recorded a minus-six percent deviation with 261.3 mm of rain against a normal of 277.6 mm. Nirmal recorded a minus-16 percent deviation, Kamareddy was at minus-15 percent, and Medak registered a minus-12 percent deviation.
Of the 621 mandals in the state, 291 have been classified as deficient and 47 recorded large deficiencies. Only 210 mandals recorded normal rainfall, highlighting the uneven distribution of precipitation.
The state recorded 21 rainy days out of the 39 days since June 1. In the first nine days of July, Telangana received 41 mm of rain against the normal of 55 mm, prompting the official appeals for spiritual intervention to protect the agricultural sector.
