Andhra Pradesh declares drought in 21 districts affecting 283 mandals
The Andhra Pradesh government has declared drought conditions in 21 of the state's 26 districts, affecting 388 mandals across the state. According to a government order issued by the Revenue (Disaster Management) Department on October 1, 283 mandals have been classified as 'severely affected' while 105 mandals are 'moderately affected' for the South-West Monsoon 2026 Kharif season.
The declaration was made following a recommendation by a high-level Committee on Drought at a meeting held on September 30. The early declaration came ahead of the October 31 deadline, prompted by a severe rainfall deficit of 53.4% recorded during June-August 2026, with prevailing El Niño conditions exacerbating the situation. The state received an average rainfall of 197.6 mm against the normal rainfall of 424.3 mm from June 1 to August 31. The declaration was made in accordance with the Manual for Drought Management, 2016 issued by the Government of India.
The 21 affected districts include Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR district, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Prakasam, Markapuram, Kurnool, Nandyal, Ananthapuramu, Sri Satya Sai, YSR Kadapa, Annamayya and Chittoor. The YSRCP opposed the exclusion of Nellore district, claiming several mandals there received insufficient rainfall. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has advocated for interlinking Godavari and Cauvery river systems as a drought mitigation strategy.
