HYDERABAD: Various parts of Telangana experienced thundershowers accompanied by hailstorms on Thursday. The sudden rains caused crop loss over many acres in Nalgonda, Medak, Rangareddy and Khammam districts. Hyderabad also experienced sudden showers towards Thursday evening inundating various roads and low-lying areas.
In Medak, paddy, mango, jowar and maize crops were damaged in Narayankhed, Sirgapur, Kalher, Sadasivpet and Munipally mandals. Agriculture department officials estimated the crop damage to be over around 700 acres. Fields where vegetables were being grown also reported crop loss. Paddy fields were severely damaged in Chilipiched and Pedda Shankarampet mandals of the Medak district.
According to the officials, at many places in the erstwhile Khammam district, paddy and maize crops that were kept in fields for drying suffered damage due to the rains. Many banana plantations in Aswaraopet, Dammapet, Mulakalapalli, Annapureddypalli mandals also suffered damage as the standing crop was flattened by the wind gust.
K Narayana, a farmer in Aswaraopet, said a lot of paddy and maize crop that was kept in open spaces for drying due to lack of gunny bags to pack and sell them was damaged because of the sudden rains. In Nalgonda district, about 24 hectare of paddy crop was reported to be damaged due to hailstorm. Farmers appealed to the district administration to buy the wet maize and paddy crop and pay compensation to banana plantation farmers.
Friday thunderstorm warning
The India Meteorological Department issued a warning that thunderstorm accompanied by hailstorm, lightning and wind speeds up to 40km/hr are likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal, Medak, Sangareddy, Khammam, Jangaon, Mahbubnagar, Bhuvanagiri, Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Gadwal, Wanaparthy, Mahabubabad, Warangal, Bhupalpally and Kothagudem.
Padra in Nagarkurnool, recorded the highest rainfall of 45 mm followed by 42 mm at Turkapalle in Bhuvanagiri district. Alwal recorded the highest rainfall of 38.5 mm in the Greater Hyderabad limits. A few areas in the outskirts of Hyderabad including Ibrahimpatnam received hail.