The Andhra Pradesh government has declared drought across 388 of its 688 mandals in 21 of the state's 26 districts for the South-West Monsoon 2026 Kharif season, following a severe rainfall deficit and prevailing El Nino conditions. A government order was issued by the Revenue (Disaster Management) Department on October 1, well ahead of the usual October 31 deadline for the season's drought declaration.
Early declaration, months ahead of deadline
Of the 388 drought-affected mandals, 283 have been classified as severely affected and 105 as moderately affected. The high-level Committee on Drought, in a meeting on September 30, recommended the early declaration instead of waiting for the October 31 cutoff under the Centre's Manual for Drought Management, 2016.
The order records a 53.4 per cent rainfall deficit during June to August 2026. The state received an average of 197.6 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 31, against the normal of 424.3 mm for the period.
The 21 districts under the declaration are Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Prakasam, Markapuram, Kurnool, Nandyal, Ananthapuramu, Sri Satya Sai, YSR Kadapa, Annamayya and Chittoor.
Opposition questions exclusion of Nellore
The opposition YSRCP attacked the government for leaving Nellore out of the declaration, claiming several mandals in the district received deficient rainfall. Former agriculture minister Kurasala Kannababu and YSRCP leader Gadikota Srikanth Reddy also alleged the government delayed the declaration despite severe conditions since the first week of September.
They said the Rayalaseema region has borne the brunt of the deficit, with 186 of the 388 drought-declared mandals located there, including 159 of the 283 severely affected mandals. Kannababu claimed nearly seven lakh borewells had dried up by August, with mango and citrus orchards withering and farmers relying on tankers to save plantations.
Naidu pushes river-linking as the answer
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has pitched interlinking of the Godavari and Cauvery river systems as a long-term answer, arguing it could make southern states drought-free. Speaking at the launch of the 'Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 - Amarajeevi Jaladhara' programmes in Proddatur in YSR Kadapa district, he said that while drought conditions prevail, 2,000 TMC of river water flows into the sea, and that utilising even 200 TMC of Godavari floodwater could transform the Rayalaseema region.
Sources: Andhra government declares drought in 21 districts - The Indian Express, Andhra Pradesh declares drought across 388 mandals - Financial Express
Early declaration, months ahead of deadline
Of the 388 drought-affected mandals, 283 have been classified as severely affected and 105 as moderately affected. The high-level Committee on Drought, in a meeting on September 30, recommended the early declaration instead of waiting for the October 31 cutoff under the Centre's Manual for Drought Management, 2016.
The order records a 53.4 per cent rainfall deficit during June to August 2026. The state received an average of 197.6 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 31, against the normal of 424.3 mm for the period.
The 21 districts under the declaration are Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Prakasam, Markapuram, Kurnool, Nandyal, Ananthapuramu, Sri Satya Sai, YSR Kadapa, Annamayya and Chittoor.
Opposition questions exclusion of Nellore
The opposition YSRCP attacked the government for leaving Nellore out of the declaration, claiming several mandals in the district received deficient rainfall. Former agriculture minister Kurasala Kannababu and YSRCP leader Gadikota Srikanth Reddy also alleged the government delayed the declaration despite severe conditions since the first week of September.
They said the Rayalaseema region has borne the brunt of the deficit, with 186 of the 388 drought-declared mandals located there, including 159 of the 283 severely affected mandals. Kannababu claimed nearly seven lakh borewells had dried up by August, with mango and citrus orchards withering and farmers relying on tankers to save plantations.
Naidu pushes river-linking as the answer
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has pitched interlinking of the Godavari and Cauvery river systems as a long-term answer, arguing it could make southern states drought-free. Speaking at the launch of the 'Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 - Amarajeevi Jaladhara' programmes in Proddatur in YSR Kadapa district, he said that while drought conditions prevail, 2,000 TMC of river water flows into the sea, and that utilising even 200 TMC of Godavari floodwater could transform the Rayalaseema region.
Sources: Andhra government declares drought in 21 districts - The Indian Express, Andhra Pradesh declares drought across 388 mandals - Financial Express
