VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh recorded a significant rainfall surplus during the 2024–25 water year (June 1 to May 31), with an average of 1,135.2 mm rainfall across its 679 mandals in 26 districts. This marks a 16.4% increase over the normal average of 975.3 mm, offering much-needed relief to the state after the previous year’s deficit.
In stark contrast, the 2023–24 water year saw a 17.1% shortfall, with just 719.5 mm of rainfall against a normal of 867.9 mm. The improvement in 2024–25 represents a gain of 415.7 mm and is being hailed as a positive turnaround for agriculture, water supply, and groundwater recharge.
According to data from 2,817 Automatic Weather Stations and 679 manual rain gauges, three districts recorded exceptional rainfall: Sri Sathya Sai (+58.3%), Ananthapur (+48.6%), and Parvathipuram Manyam (+10.0%). Eight other districts, including Guntur (+43.4%), NTR (+38.5%), Eluru (+37.4%), and Chittoor (+29.3%), also received rainfall between 20% and 59% above normal.
Fifteen districts, among them Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, and Kakinada, reported normal rainfall ranging from -19% to +19%. Srikakulam was the only district with a slight negative deviation of -5.1%. Notably, no district fell into the deficient category, a significant improvement over previous years.
At the mandal level, the data paints an even clearer picture of Statewide distribution. Out of 679 mandals, 53 received large excess rainfall, 266 recorded excess rainfall, 349 fell within normal levels, and only 11 were classified as deficient. No mandals reported large deficits or zero rainfall.
The rainfall boost has positively impacted reservoir levels. As of May 31 storage across major reservoirs stood at 403.71 TMC, or 41.05% of gross capacity at Full Reservoir Level (FRL). This is a notable rise from 225.13 TMC (22.89%) recorded at the end of the previous year. Officials say the timely rains have set the stage for a promising kharif season, improved drinking water security, and long-term agricultural stability across the State.