HYDERABAD: Now that heavy rains have stopped pounding Telangana, the magnitude of destruction they have caused to agriculture and road infrastructure is coming into focus. As on Monday, the rains have inundated two lakh acres of agriculture fields in various parts of the state, leaving thousands of farmers in a state of shock.
The floods have mostly affected paddy and cotton fields in the erstwhile districts of Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Mahabubnagar.
Speaking on the matter, State Agriculture Secretary, B Janardhan Reddy said, “The inundation of paddy fields is not a cause of concern, as the crop is still in the initial stages of cultivation. Since it is not in the harvesting stage, it can survive a couple of days of inundation. Same goes for cotton crop, which is also in the primary stages of cultivation.”
As per a preliminary report from the Agriculture Department, more than half the damage was reported from Warangal (Urban) and Warangal (Rural) districts, where around 1.15 lakh acres of agricultural fields were submerged.
In Bhupalpally and Mulugu, inundation was reported in 10,000 acres and 27,000 acres respectively, whereas in Khammam and Kothagudem, more than 23,000 acres of fields have been flooded.
Janardhan Reddy added, “The exact assessment of damage is yet to be done. It will be done in a couple of days, after stagnant water in the fields recedes. The inundation will most likely have damaged green gram and groundnut crops that are in the harvesting stage. These are spread over 5,000 to 10,000 acres, at present.
“The downpour which lasted for close to five days in various parts of the State led to the swelling of rivers and other water bodies. It came to a halt on Monday in most areas, but continued in some parts of northern Telangana. As on Monday night, Adilabad recorded the highest rainfall of 80 mm.
The flooding caused by overflowing water bodies, however, continued on Monday in erstwhile Warangal, Khammam and Adilabad districts. Rescue operations of shifting people from inundated areas to relief centres are also in progress.
More than 3,500 people were shifted to 13 relief centres in Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet, whereas in Mulugu, 6,000 people were shifted to 29 relief centres. A team of 25 NDRF personnel was deployed in Mulugu, in addition to four speed boats and 40 swimmers.
In Kothagudem, as many as 4,683 people were shifted to 37 flood relief shelters, considering the Godavari river is still brimming over the danger mark. Many people were moved from places located close to the banks of Munneru river, which was also flooded.
Three women, a girl missing after dinghy capsizes
Floods triggered by torrential rains claimed the lives of nine persons in Telangana, including three women and a girl who have gone missing after a dinghy-capsize in Krishna river. The dinghy with 13 people on it capsized in Krishna river near Dathathreya temple in Narayanpet district.
The four victims were on their way from Pasupula to Kurupavaram when the mishap occurred. The passengers of another dinghy rescued the rest of the travellers and took them to safety.
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