Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh Declare Drought as Weak Monsoon Leaves 217 Taluks, 388 Mandals Parched
The southwest monsoon has ended with a substantial rainfall shortfall across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and both States have declared large parts of their territory drought-hit while pressing the Centre for relief.
Karnataka recorded a deficit of close to 35% between June and September, according to figures cited by the State government. It has declared 217 of its 240 taluks drought-hit, reporting extensive damage to red gram, maize, cotton and sugarcane. The State has asked the Centre for ₹11,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), along with higher input subsidies for farmers.
Andhra Pradesh reported a 53% shortfall for June-August and has declared 388 of its 688 mandals drought-hit. Horticultural crops spread over nearly 18,000 hectares are at risk. The State has set aside ₹190 crore to protect horticultural crops and has issued directions to conserve drinking water.
This was the monsoon's poorest showing since 2015. Meteorologists have flagged a strengthening El Niño — a periodic warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean that is often associated with weaker rainfall over India — though an attribution study examining how far the phenomenon accounts for this year's shortfall is still pending.
Under the national drought framework, a State's declaration is weighed alongside agricultural and hydrological indicators and ground-truthing studies. An Inter-Ministerial Central Team verifies conditions on the ground before a distressed State can access additional support from the NDRF, the Centre's main fund for relief after notified disasters.
Drought declarations were once marked by subjective claims, at times exaggerated to maximise State support. Since 2009, the Manual for Drought Management, its subsequent updates and Finance Commission decisions have tightened the process. States retain some incentive to widen their declarations, and the Centre has held back NDRF assistance in the past, including with Karnataka in 2024, even as its own relief obligations have grown.
Once the Inter-Ministerial Central Team's findings are publicly verified, support should follow without delay, so that farmers are not left waiting on procedural grounds.
Reach is as important as speed. Compensation in most States is routed through land records, which means tenant farmers, sharecroppers and landless agricultural labourers — often among the worst affected — can fall outside the relief net. Farm indebtedness, already high in both States, tends to deepen after successive crop failures, and relief that arrives late or covers only landowners leaves the gap to be filled by informal borrowing.
Relief alone will not settle the larger problem. Both States have offered incentives and advisories — encouraging micro-irrigation and the cultivation of less water-intensive crops — but neither has imposed binding limits on water use. Storing water more carefully and rationalising consumption need attention alongside compensation.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has repeatedly warned of expanding drought-like conditions in South Asia. That makes resilience measures — sustainable use of groundwater, crop choices matched to local rainfall and aquifers, and dependable income support — central rather than optional. Broadening agricultural insurance would also help farmers absorb repeated shocks.
Longer-term infrastructure proposals, including river interlinking, are not a substitute for these steps. A project of that scale and duration cannot become an excuse to defer the more immediate work of preparing agriculture and water systems for a drier future.
