The Andhra Pradesh government has declared 24 mandals across eight districts drought-affected for the 2026 kharif season, with 12 classified as severely affected and 12 placed in the moderately affected category.
Revenue (disaster management) special chief secretary G. Sai Prasad issued GO Ms No. 5 notifying the drought-affected mandals. The government order provides the formal administrative classification for areas facing drought conditions during the current kharif season.
The mandals identified as moderately affected are Jaggampeta in Kakinada district; Dwarakatirumala, Pedapadu, Chatrai, Nuzvid, Musunuru, Eluru Rural and Agiripalli in Eluru district; Machilipatnam South in Krishna district; and Vontimitta, Sidhout and Nandalur in YSR Kadapa district.
The severely affected category includes Racherla in Markapuram district; Aspari, Nandavaram, Adoni-2, Kosigi, Mantralayam and Kollur in Kurnool district; Rayadurg and Peddapappur in Anantapur district; and Rolla, Agali and Penukonda in Sri Sathya Sai district.
The notification covers a geographically dispersed set of mandals, spanning coastal districts including Kakinada, Eluru and Krishna, as well as inland and Rayalaseema districts such as Markapuram, Kurnool, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai and YSR Kadapa. The classification therefore applies to areas with different administrative and agricultural settings rather than to one continuous drought-affected belt.
For local administrations, the government order establishes which mandals have been officially recognised as moderately or severely affected during the season. That distinction is significant because it creates an administrative record of the intensity of drought conditions in each notified area and identifies the locations requiring attention under the state’s disaster-management framework.
The notification also brings drought conditions into sharper focus as an issue affecting rural livelihoods and local economies. Kharif agriculture depends on seasonal water availability, and a formal drought classification can influence how district administrations document impacts and coordinate subsequent government action. The supplied notification, however, does not specify any relief package, compensation, water-supply measure or implementation timetable linked to the declaration.
The state’s order names the 24 mandals and separates them into two severity categories. Further details on measures to be taken in the notified areas, including any financial assistance or departmental response, were not provided in the announcement.
