Nearly three weeks after drought declaration in 388 mandals, Andhra relief details still unclear

Nearly three weeks after the formal Andhra Pradesh drought declaration across more than half the state’s mandals, farmers in the worst-hit districts still do not know how much relief they will receive, or when.

The Revenue (Disaster Management) department issued GO No. 4 on Thursday, October 1, declaring 388 of the state’s 688 mandals in 21 districts drought-affected for the 2026 kharif season. Of these, 283 mandals are classified as severely affected and 105 as moderately affected.

Rayalaseema bears the brunt

Rayalaseema accounts for 186 of the declared mandals, including 159 of the severely affected ones. Sri Sathya Sai (28 severe mandals), Anantapur (27), Nandyal (26), Annamayya (25) and Chittoor (24) are among the hardest-hit districts, and every mandal in Annamayya, Chittoor, Palnadu and Prakasam is on the list.

The order cited a 53.4% rainfall deficit between June and August, with the state receiving 197.6 mm against a normal of 424.3 mm, along with prevailing El Niño conditions. Under the state’s drought manual, kharif drought is to be declared on October 31, so the government called its move an early declaration.

Andhra Pradesh drought relief: what has been announced

Officials have been directed to arrange loan rescheduling for farmers in the notified mandals and to begin mitigation steps immediately. The declaration opens the way for input subsidy, a report to the Centre and additional workdays under the rural employment guarantee scheme, but the order itself does not specify amounts or timelines.

Earlier, on September 19, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had ordered that no area should face a drinking water shortage, with tankers to supply borewell-dependent habitations, and had directed officials to send monthly drought reports to the Centre. Rs 190 crore has already been allocated to protect horticulture crops.

During a two-day Delhi visit from October 7, Naidu was to seek special financial assistance for drought relief from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Neither government has since said what came of that request, and no visit by a central inter-ministerial team has been announced.

Questions over coverage and timing

The government has still not announced dates for compensation, the per-acre amount, or how far crop-loss assessments have progressed. Paddy, groundnut, cotton and maize crops have been damaged.

The Andhra Pradesh Kisan Congress has demanded that 624 mandals be declared drought-hit, along with loan waivers, immediate input subsidy and fodder supply. Its chairman, Kamana Prabhakara Rao, said crops had not been sown on 10 lakh acres as of September 30. The YSR Congress Party has questioned the timing of the declaration and the exclusion of parts of Nellore district.

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