{
  "id": 14103961,
  "title": "Drought report: On southwest monsoon, drought in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/drought-report-on-southwest-monsoon-drought-in-karnataka-and-andhra",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T02:49:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu - Sci-Tech",
    "slug": "the-hindu-sci-tech",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/drought-report-on-southwest-monsoon-drought-in-karnataka-and-andhra-pradesh/article71575181.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A severe drought has struck Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh following a disappointing southwest monsoon season, with the rainfall deficit reaching nearly 35% in the latter and 53% in the former. The Indian government has declared 217 out of 240 taluks in Karnataka and 388 out of 688 mandals in Andhra Pradesh to be drought-affected, causing significant harm to crops such as red gram, maize, cotton, and sugarcane. Horticulture crops covering almost 18,000 hectares now face the risk of destruction. Karnataka has sought ₹11,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with more input subsidies, while Andhra Pradesh has allocated ₹190 crore to safeguard horticultural crops and instructed water conservation measures. The monsoon's performance this year has been the worst since 2015. El Niño, a phenomenon known to intensify drought conditions, is expected to play a role, though further study is required. Drought declarations have become more stringent since 2009, with the Manual for Drought Management and Finance Commission decisions tightening the process. The Centre must not obstruct States by releasing support prematurely and should release assistance promptly after verification of findings by the Inter-Ministerial Central Team. States must also demonstrate better water storage practices and consumption management. Although both States have offered incentives and advisories for adopting water-efficient practices and cultivating less water-intensive crops, they have not enforced binding limits. The Centre could explore incentives to prevent droughts, even in the face of a deficient monsoon, as per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's warnings of growing drought-like conditions in South Asia. Furthermore, the Centre should not use the possibility of a prolonged and imprudent river-interlinking project as a reason to neglect pro-resilience initiatives like sustainable groundwater use and locally-adapted crop selection.",
  "summary": "The Centre must help States once inter-ministerial team gives finding",
  "key_points": [
    "Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh face severe drought after disappointing southwest monsoon.",
    "217 of 240 taluks and 388 of 688 mandals declared drought-affected in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The severe rainfall deficit shifts the burden of climate resilience onto state governments, which must now balance urgent financial requests with the need for improved water management and crop selection.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}