Andhra Pradesh declares early kharif drought in 388 mandals across 21 districts

A youth walks across a dried-up pond to fetch drinking water from a well at Gaadhepalem near Ongole, where the village tank has run dry and the RO plant has stopped working. File | Photo Credit: Kommuri Srinivas The Andhra Pradesh government has declared an early kharif 2026 drought in 388 mandals across 21 districts, classifying 283 mandals as severely drought-affected and 105 as moderately drought-affected, citing a 53.4% rainfall deficit during June-August and prevailing El Niño conditions.More than 56% of the State’s 688 mandals in 28 districts have been declared drought-affected.The declaration was made through G.O. Ms. No. 4, published by G. Sai Prasad, Special Chief Secretary (FAC), Revenue (Disaster Management) Department, on October 1, 2026, following detailed scrutiny of proposals submitted by district Collectors and recommendations of the State Drought Committee. The committee met on September 30 and assessed the proposals in accordance with the Government of India’s Manual for Drought Management, 2016.The government said an average rainfall of only 197.6 mm was recorded between June 1 and August 31, against a normal of 424.3 mm. Although the kharif drought declaration is normally required by October 31, the government opted for an early declaration based on the rainfall situation and relevant drought indicators.The assessment followed three stages: mandatory indicators, including rainfall deviation and dry spells; impact indicators, comprising sown-area index, Remote Sensing/Vegetation Condition Index, Moisture Adequacy Index, Reservoir Storage Index and Ground Water Index; and ground truthing.Rainfall deviation was classified as normal at +19% to -19%, deficient at -20% to -59%, large deficient/scanty at -60% to -99% and no rain at -100%. A dry spell was defined as a period of three to four consecutive weeks of low or no rainfall, depending on soil type.Data for the assessment was sourced from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, the Agriculture and Horticulture departments, the Andhra Pradesh Space Applications Centre (APSAC), the Irrigation Department, the Ground Water Audit Department and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU).District-wise, the affected mandals comprise Srikakulam (1 severe, 4 moderate), Vizianagaram (10, 12), Visakhapatnam (1, 3), Anakapalli (22, 0), Kakinada (0, 6), East Godavari (0, 4), Eluru (1, 7), Krishna (8, 9), NTR (3, 10), Guntur (8, 3), Bapatla (15, 0), Palnadu (18, 10), Prakasam (18, 10), Markapuram (19, 0), Kurnool (15, 0), Nandyal (26, 2), Ananthapuramu (27, 1), Sri Sathya Sai (28, 1), YSR Kadapa (14, 23), Annamayya (25, 0) and Chittoor (24, 0).District Collectors have been directed to publish notifications in the respective District Gazettes in English and Telugu and specify the affected mandals. Published - October 08, 2026 11:56 am IST