WARANGAL/HANAMKONDA: The unseasonal rains and hailstorms induced by a cyclonic circulation over north Konkan have led to widespread damage to standing crops while inundating low-lying areas in many districts across the state. The hailstorm that lashed Warangal district late on Tuesday damaged maize, red chilli and groundnut while several parts of Warangal city were inundated.
Localities like Sai Nagar Colony, Madhura Nagar, Lakshmi and Ganapathy Nagar and Lakshmi Ganapati Colony in Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) limits were inundated with officials doing their best to divert the flow of water.
Rainwater entered agriculture fields and damaged standing crops of maize and red chillis in Kothaguda mandal in Mahabubabad district, Parkal, Sagem, Geesugonda, Atmakur mandals, Duggondi, Nallabelly and Narsampet, Nekkonda Chennaraopet, Khanapur, Warangal mandals in Warangal district.
A preliminary report prepared by the Warangal Agricultural department officials and obtained by Express says that crop has been damaged in 10,811 acres in 191 villages. As many as 9,284 farmers have been affected due to the unseasonal rains that began late on Tuesday and continued till Wednesday morning in Warangal district.
Meanwhile, Narsampet MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy along with Warangal Collector B Gopi inspected the damaged crops in the district. Speaking to Express, G Mahender Reddy, a farmer cultivating maize and red chilli in Muthojipet village of Narsampet mandal said that he is distraught over the damage. “I had invested `2 lakh on the cultivation of cotton and red chilli and now it’s all washed away,” Mahender Reddy said.
Under-construction bridge washed away in Adilabad
The heavy rains that lashed the erstwhile Adilabad district since Tuesday led to widespread damage to standing crops and brought normal life to a standstill.
Roads inundated in Khammam town
The unseasonal rains also led to roads overflowing and traffic jams in Khammam.“It is not the first time that roads are overflowing with drainage water. The sanitary workers do not remove silt from the drains and the inundated roads are causing traffic jams, said K Ramakrishna, a senior citizen in Khammam town.