Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed the officials to assess deficit rainfall conditions in the State in a scientific manner and declare drought-hit mandals on October 1.

The month-wise situation arising from El Nino should be informed to the Union government, Mr. Naidu said in a review meeting on Saturday, and noted that a sum of ₹190 crore had already been earmarked for the protection of horticulture crops.

Officials told the Chief Minister that the process of identifying drought-hit mandals was in progress with data related to rainfall, crop cultivation, groundwater levels, soil moisture percentage and storage in the reservoirs collated from six departments.

They said preliminary estimates for the 2026-Kharif season indicated the impact of El Nino on 513 mandals and the situation was severe in 268 mandals and moderate in 245 mandals.

Field-level inspections were being conducted by the agriculture and other departments concerned under the guidance of the District Collectors. Local teams were evaluating crop and yield losses. The Collectors would then submit the drought proposals to the Revenue and Disaster Management Departments by  September 24. These findings would be reviewed by the State-level committee on September 29.

High-risk category crops

Crops under 1,357 Rythu Bharosa Kendras across 21 districts fell in the high-risk category due to El Nino, which badly affected the production of orange, sweet lime, mango, red chilli, onion, and vegetables in about 17,916 hectares, the officials said.

​​Mr. Naidu instructed the officials to give priority to micro-irrigation to safeguard crops using minimum quantities of water, and said four key services for farmers under the AP Micro Irrigation Project had been integrated with Mana Mitra WhatsApp Governance.

He further directed the officials to ensure that citizens did not face drinking water shortage anywhere in the State and to supply water through tankers in areas dependent on borewells. Also, he wanted a plan to be prepared to solve drinking water issues in Visakhapatnam.

The Chief Minister ordered that the pipeline works supplying water to Meghadrigedda from the Polavaram Left Main Canal be expedited. The officials said that steps were being taken to that effect and that the city currently had water reserves sufficient for the next two months.