UPSC Darpan

Agriculture & FoodGS37 October 2026

Andhra Pradesh Declares Drought in 388 of 688 Mandals a Month Before the Deadline

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The news

Andhra Pradesh. An order issued on October 1 by the Revenue (Disaster Management) Department declares 388 of the State’s 688 mandals (sub-district units like blocks), in 21 of 26 districts, drought-affected for kharif 2026: 283 “severely” and 105 “moderately”, The Indian Express reports. A high-level Committee on Drought advised on September 30 not to wait for the October 31 deadline. June–August rain was 197.6 mm against a normal 424.3 mm, a 53.4% deficit “amplified by prevailing El Niño conditions”, a Pacific warming that usually weakens the monsoon. The order follows the Manual for Drought Management, 2016. The YSRCP says the government delayed, wrongly left out Nellore, and that Rayalaseema holds 186 of the 388 mandals. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on October 5 that 2,000 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of river water flows into the sea and that Godavari–Cauvery linking could make southern States drought-free.

The chain in one line: El Niño weakens June–August rains → kharif crops fail → the Committee advises an early call → 388 mandals declared on October 1 → relief before rabi sowing

Static syllabus linkage

  1. The Manual for Drought Management sets a two-step, indicator-based test. Issued by the Union Agriculture Ministry in 2016 and updated in 2020, it makes a rainfall indicator (deviation, Standardised Precipitation Index or dry spell) the mandatory trigger. Impact indicators (sown area, NDVI vegetation index, soil moisture, hydrology) then grade it severe or moderate, before ground-truthing. States notify it, normally by October 31 for kharif.
  2. Relief money flows through the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Section 48 creates the State Disaster Response Fund and Section 46 the National Disaster Response Fund. Drought relief is paid first from the SDRF, three-fourths Centre-funded for general-category States. For severe drought, the State seeks NDRF help; an Inter-Ministerial Central Team assesses it.

Why UPSC loves this

  1. Drought sits where agriculture meets disaster management. GS3 lists “Disaster and disaster management” and irrigation systems. Two States declaring drought in a fortnight make the process exam-ready.

Prelims nuggets

  • The Manual for Drought Management is issued by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; the State Government declares drought.
  • Under the Manual, a rainfall indicator is the mandatory first trigger; impact indicators such as NDVI and soil moisture grade severity.
  • Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 provides for the NDRF and Section 48 for the SDRF.
  • The Godavari–Cauvery link belongs to the Peninsular component of the National Perspective Plan (1980) for inter-linking rivers.

Analysis

  1. Timing, not amount, decides how much distress turns into debt. A declaration switches on input subsidy, loan rescheduling and fodder works, so an October call reaches farmers before they borrow for rabi sowing. The opposition says drought was visible in early September, but the manual’s June–August data and ground-truthing set a floor on how early a sound call can come.
  2. Lens — Short-term relief and long-term reform: river-linking answers a different decade. A Godavari–Cauvery link needs every riparian State’s consent, environmental clearances and vast sums, and moves no water this year. In rain-shadow Rayalaseema, watershed works, recharge and less thirsty crops act faster. The sound judgement: relief now, the link tested as a long-term option, not offered in place of drought-proofing.
  3. Drawing lines between mandals is technical, and also political. Declaration brings money, so exclusion, as alleged for Nellore, breeds grievance. The indicators defend the State only if mandal-wise data are published. Federally, the State declares while the Centre pays extra for severe drought, so a transparent early call also strengthens Andhra Pradesh’s NDRF claim.

Possible Mains question

Timely declaration of drought matters as much as the quantum of relief. Discuss with reference to the Manual for Drought Management. (15 marks, 250 words)

Model approach

  1. Directive — Discuss. Show why timing matters, test its limits, conclude.
  2. Introduction — Andhra Pradesh declared a month early. Cite 388 of 688 mandals and the 53.4% deficit.
  3. Early declaration reaches farmers before rabi debt. Draw a timeline: June–August rains → declaration → relief → rabi sowing.
  4. The manual’s indicators make declaration a test, not a favour. Value addition: rainfall trigger, NDVI, ground-truthing, SDRF then NDRF.
  5. Conclusion — early, data-led, then drought-proofing. Pair quick declaration with watershed and crop reform.

Administrator's brainstorm

As Collector of a district left off the drought list despite low rain in several mandals, how do you respond to protesting farmers?

I would compile mandal-wise rainfall, sowing and soil-moisture data and check crop loss in the field. If the manual’s test is met, I would send a reasoned proposal for reassessment to the Revenue (Disaster Management) Department, meanwhile arranging drinking water and fodder. If not, I would explain the data openly.