Rain and repeat: on extreme weather and governance

The heavy rains and flooding across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana this season underline how extreme weather interacts with governance. In 2024, Andhra Pradesh recorded 27% of its annual rainfall in two days; this August, Vizianagaram logged a 46% excess, with some parts reporting up to 90%. Consecutive years of extreme precipitation signal a shift in the monsoon’s behaviour. Reservoir and barrage systems in river basins are designed to manage seasonal inflows but the timing and intensity of recent rain events matter. At one point this year, Srisailam was 94% full and Nagarjuna Sagar 96%, leaving little room for additional inflow. The crisis is really excess rainfall plus its concentration into short bursts when reservoirs are already nearly full. Last year, Budameru, a rivulet with a capacity of 7,000 cusecs, received 35,000 cusecs and flooded Vijayawada. The recurrence points to how minor tributaries and drainage channels, which are often neglected in policy, become debilitating choke points. While sheer volume explains part of the flooding, infrastructural weaknesses magnify the damage. At the Prakasam Barrage, one gate damaged last year remained unrepaired well into this season, hampering smooth water release. Along the Godavari, floodbanks near Bhadrachalam sank or collapsed in places, raising anxiety among residents on both sides of the border. In urban areas, partly desilted drains, encroached stormwater channels, and concretised surfaces have restricted water absorption. Overall, infrastructure exists but is not maintained or upgraded with urgency.

The disaster management apparatus in both States is mature and saved many lives. Yet, institutions remain less agile at reducing risk. Year after year, large sums are sanctioned for immediate relief (Telangana recently released ₹1 crore per district at short notice) but strengthening floodbanks and completing diversion channels remain unfinished. In 2024 and 2025, extreme rainfall arrived late in August and early September. Both times, the Krishna and Godavari systems were severely strained and Vijayawada was inundated. Both times, protests followed, highlighting incomplete Budameru works and opaque relief fund uptake. Extreme rainfall cannot be prevented but its consequences can be moderated by anticipating it. Reservoir management, for example, needs to incorporate real-time hydrological modelling so that water levels are drawn down before a deluge, creating flood cushions. Urban planning must prioritise drainage networks and reserve permeable land for water absorption, moving beyond cosmetic desilting drives. Flood banks and sluices require continuous, not episodic, maintenance, and their upkeep should be insulated from political cycles. Neither State is wrong to argue that extraordinary rains can overwhelm even robust systems, but both risk fatalism if they use this as an excuse to avoid reform.