Millet and sorghum are major dryland cereal crops, however their growth and productivity is limited by soil water stress with varying intensity. The major objective of this study was to evaluate water stress of millet and sorghum yield under drainage classes of poorly drained soil and to test the effect of the installed pipe drainage in poorly drained paddy soil to minimize crop stress. The research was carried out in poorly drained paddy fields located at alluvial slopping area resulting in non-uniform water content distribution by the inflow of ground water from the upper part of the field. Stress Day Index (SDI) was determined from a stress day factor (SD) and a crop susceptibility factor (CS). SD is a degree of measurement by calculating the daily sum of excess water in the profile above 30cm soil depth ($SEW_{30}$). CS depends on a given excess water on crop stage. The results showed that sum of excess water day ($SWD_{30}$) used to represent the moisture stress index was lower on somewhat poorly drained soil compared with poorly drained soil on 117 days. CS values for sorghum were 57% on $3^{rd}$ leaf stage, 44% on $5^{th}$ leaf stage, 37% on panicle initiation, 23% on boot stage, and 16% on soft dough stage. For proso millet CS values were 84% on $3^{rd}$ leaf stage, 70% on $5^{th}$ leaf Stage, 65% on panicle initiation, 53% on boot stage, and 28% on soft dough stage. And for foxtail millet the values were 73% on $3^{rd}$ leaf stage, 61% on $5^{th}$ leaf stage, 50% on panicle initiation, 29% on boot stage, and 15% on soft dough stage. SDI of sorghum and millet was more susceptible to excess soil water during panicle initation stage more poorly drained soil than somewhat poorly drained soil. Grain yield was reduced especially in proso millet and Foxtail millet compared to Sorghum.