Even as many parts of Andhra Pradesh were reeling under the heavy unseasonal rain, leaving a large number of farmers devastated and standing crops on several thousand acres destroyed, the meteorological department has warned of more rains over the next 24 hours.
The State was receiving torrential rain for the last two days under the influence of well marked depression in Arabian Sea off the coast of Northern Kerala. Two kids drowned in Imamnagar in Khammam district. Heavy rain since Friday has caused extensive devastation in coastal Andhra districts. Major cities of Rajahmundry and Kakinada in East Godavari district were flooded and water had entered many low lying areas at the two places.
Tadepalligudem, in the same district, received the highest rainfall of 17 cm followed by 15 cm at Kakinada and 14 cm at Nuzividu in Krishna district, Rajahmundry received 11 cm rainfall, while Vijayawada and Narsapuram recorded 9 cm each. Rains lashed the entire belt from Guntur to East Godavari district causing huge damages to the standing crop and the grains kept in the open market yards.
The officials at Cyclone Warning Center in Visakhpatanam said that depression had now weakened and it was now stationary over the north coastal Andhra and adjoining Odisha and Chhattisgarh. “Many places in coastal Andhra and Telangana and some places in Rayalaseema will receive rain and thundershowers over the next 24 hours,” officials said.
State Government officials said the farmers in East Godavari had suffered extensive damage to the standing crops as well as the harvested grains. Of the paddy crop grown on half a million acres in the district, only half was harvested while the remaining yet to be harvested, had suffered damages. At many places, the affected farmers were protesting with the demand for procurement of their damaged and discolored paddy.