With 289 villages already identified as facing drinking water stress, Agriculture and Mandya district in-charge Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Saturday directed officials to take immediate preventive measures to avert a full-blown crisis during the peak summer months.

Presiding over the quarterly progress review meeting (KDP) at the Zilla Panchayat in Mandya, the Minister warned that deficient rainfall prospects could worsen the situation and stressed the need for advance planning and continuous monitoring. He instructed officials to prepare and secure approval for action plans early in the financial year and ensure execution by June.