Andhra Pradesh declares drought in 56% of its mandals after 53% rainfall deficit
A youth walks across a dry pond to fetch drinking water from a well at Gaadhepalem near Ongola, where the village tank has dried up and the RO plant has stopped working. File | Photo credit: Kommuri Srinivas
The Andhra Pradesh government has declared an early drought of kharif 2026 in 388 mandals in 21 districts, classifying 283 mandals as severely drought-affected and 105 as moderately drought-affected, citing 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 announcement was made through GO Ms. No. 4 issued by G. Sai Prasad, Special Chief Secretary (FAC), Revenue (Disaster Management) Department on October 1, 2026 after a detailed examination of the proposals submitted by the District Collectors and the recommendations of the State Drought Committee. The committee met on 30 September and considered the proposals in line with the Government of India’s Drought Management Manual 2016.
The government said only 197.6 mm of average rainfall was recorded between June 1 and August 31, against the normal of 424.3 mm. Although the kharif drought declaration is normally required by October 31, the government has decided to issue an early declaration based on the rainfall situation and relevant drought indicators.
The assessment was carried out in three stages: mandatory indicators, including precipitation deviation and dry season; impact indicators, including sown area index, remotely sensed land/vegetation condition index, moisture adequacy index, reservoir supply index and groundwater index; and ground truth.
Precipitation deviation was classified as normal at +19% to -19%, deficient at -20% to -59%, severely deficient/deficient at -60% to -99%, and no rain at -100%. A dry season was defined as a period of three to four consecutive weeks of low or no rainfall, depending on soil type.
Data for the assessment came from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Agriculture and Horticulture Department, Andhra Pradesh Space Applications Center (APSAC), Irrigation Department, Ground Water Audit Department and Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU).
District Collectors have been asked to publish notices in the respective district gazettes in English and Telugu specifying the mandals concerned.
Published – 8 Oct 2026 11:56 IST