A.P. Chief Minister warns of severe water stress due to El Niño

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Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday (August 17, 2026) warned of severe water stress in Andhra Pradesh due to the impact of El Niño, urging farmers and the public to conserve water and avoid water-intensive crops in areas facing acute shortages.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly during a discussion on El Niño, Mr. Naidu said that the State was likely to receive substantially below-normal rainfall this year, with water availability declining in major river basins, reservoirs, and projects. Andhra Pradesh was expected to receive about 867 mm of rainfall between June and December 2026, against which only around 557 mm was forecast, indicating a deficit of about 36 per cent.

The rainfall deficit was particularly severe in some months, he said. July had recorded a deficit of 68 per cent, while deficits of around 35 per cent were expected in August and September, 25 per cent in October and 20 per cent in November. December, however, could see rainfall about 1 per cent above normal, he said, adding, “An El Niño-like situation is likely to create serious difficulties this year. We have to act according to water availability.”

The Chief Minister said the State’s dependence on upstream States made the situation more challenging. Water flows into Andhra Pradesh from Karnataka and Maharashtra only after their reservoirs receive adequate inflows, affecting the availability of water in the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs. Srisailam was expected to receive about 753 TMC of water, but the inflow this year was only around 214 TMC.

Mr. Naidu appealed to the farmers in the Krishna basin not to take up paddy cultivation due to expected water shortage. The government was promoting micro-irrigation, natural and organic farming, crop insurance, and scientific water management to minimise the impact of El Niño. The area under paddy had already declined by about 1.14 lakh hectares, while the acreage under maize, groundnut, and millets had also fallen, barring pulses, he added.

Horticultural crops in Rayalaseema, including sweet orange, acid lime, and mango, could also be affected. Banana and chilli cultivation in southern Andhra and cashew and coconut plantations in north coastal Andhra could face stress if the dry conditions persisted. Where necessary, the government would arrange water through tankers to protect standing crops, while promoting drip irrigation, he said, and appealed to the farmers to complete crop insurance enrolment by the end of August.

The Chief Minister said 35.17 lakh applications had been received for crop insurance this year, compared to 19.50 lakh farmers who enrolled last year. Non-loanee farmer enrolment had risen from two lakh during the previous Kharif season to 20.35 lakh this year, while the area covered by crop insurance had increased from 7.83 lakh hectares to 15.17 lakh hectares. The total insured crop value had reached ₹13,983 crore, placing Andhra Pradesh fifth in the country, he said.

“El Niño is not only affecting crops; it is also contributing to inflation.