HYDERABAD: Heavy rains lashed coastal districts on Saturday causing extensive damage to harvested crops across the region as the cyclonic storm Khai Muk turned into a deep depression.
However, farmers can heave a sigh of relief for, Khai Muk, which lay centred around 150 km east of Kavali, has weakened contrary to earlier predictions that it could intensify. Chances are that it may now become a depression. It’s likely to cross the coast between Nellore and Bapatla near Kavali early tomorrow. Though weakened, it has already caused enough destruction in Krishna, East and West Godavari districts. Venkateswara Rao, a paddy farmer of Vuyyur in Krishna district, was a happy man just a week back but today, his world has turned upside down. His crop lies submerged in one ft deep water and all prospects of a good yield have well neigh vanished.
Most of the farmers share a similar fate in the five coastal mandals of Krishna district Nagayalanka, Koduru, Machilipatnam, Bantumilli and Krutivennu.
Thousands of people have been evacuated, particularly from the islets called Lankas dotting the region, to more than 1128 cyclone shelters. In Prakasam district, the third danger signal has been hoisted at the Nizampatnam port with 15 special teams, comprising police and revenue officials, all set to swing into action in case of an emergency. At the Kakinada port, officials issued a sixth warning advising fishermen not to venture into the sea. In fact, the sea surged into the land submerging half of Uppada village and a 2-km stretch between Kakinada and Uppada Kothapalli.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Ramakanth Reddy held an emergency meeting with heads of all departments to check their preparedness. ‘‘Essential commodities besides safe drinking water sachets have been despatched to the various coastal mandals and villages.
The Army, Navy and the Air Force have also been asked to be prepared to help.
The National Disaster Response Force at Arakkonam is also ready to help in case of a disaster,’’ said Laxmikantham, Special Commissioner (Disaster Management), after the meeting with Chief Secretary Ramakanth Reddy.
According to the Met Department, heavy to very heavy rainfall and heavy isolated rainfall (25 cm) is likely in Krishna, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari and Prakasam districts in the next 24 hours. Fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall is likely in Telangana and Rayalaseema regions.
