NIZAMABAD: The recent rains in the State have damaged crops, roads, houses and Mission Bhagiratha pipelines and other property. Though the State government is yet to enumerate the losses, preliminary estimates point to substantial losses as the agriculture season has just begun and sowing operations are in full swing. As per preliminary estimates, crops have been damaged on 49,591 acres belonging to 25,869 farmers in the Nizamabad district.
Paddy nurseries were damaged on 9,751 acres in 246 villages in 23 mandals in the district. Paddy transplanted in another 31,060 acres, belonging to 16,387 farmers in 353 villages in 27 mandals too has been damaged in the district. Officials said that soybean in 14,006 acres of 6,409 farmers in 149 villages of 22 mandals, maize in 4,233 acres of 2,914 farmers in 105 villages of 18 mandals and cotton in 292 acres of 159 farmers in 17 villages of six mandals too was damaged in Nizamabad.
Most of the paddy in rice mills has sprouted
In Kamareddy, farmers in 102 villages of 11 mandals suffered crop loss. Paddy on 3,326 acres, maize on 1,583, soybean on 2,528 acres, cotton on 149 acres, green gram on 60 acres and black gram on 40 acres were damaged in Kamareddy. The crop loss was heavy in the Adilabad district, which witnessed such unprecedented rains after almost 100 years. Crops, mostly soybean, red gram and cotton, were fully damaged in around 1.80 lakh acres in 46 villages in eight mandals of the erstwhile Adilabad district. Roads were washed away, lakes were breached and farmers lost cattle. The initial estimates stated that the loss would be around `400 crore in the erstwhile Adilabad district, which received 48 cm rains in just five days. As many as 298 electricity poles and 30 transformers were damaged in the district. As many as 30 villages were still without power as officials could not restore supply.
In Rajanna Sircilla, 334 houses were partially damaged and one house fully damaged. The officials have paid `11.63 lakh ex gratia in 13 mandals.In the Karimnagar district, crops were not damaged, but one house in the Peddapalli district collapsed. Crop loss was reported from 99 villages - cotton in 2,002 acres, soybean in 632 acres, maize in 2,584 acres, paddy in 65 acres and other crops in 1,627 acres -- a total of 6,910 acres belonging to 6,961 farmers in the Peddapalli district. In Jagtial, paddy in around 1,000 acres was damaged in 46 villages.
The recent rains did not cause much damage to the crops in the erstwhile Medak district, but vegetable orchards and dilapidated houses were damaged. Officials said that 1,412 houses were damaged in the district, while 10 houses collapsed. Most of the vegetable crops were damaged in Siddipet, Medak and Sangareddy districts, 450 acres of vegetable crops were damaged in Siddipet district alone and 200 acres of vegetable crops were damaged in Sangareddy and Medak districts.
All green vegetables were completely destroyed in the rains. Officials said that around 100 roads were damaged in Sangareddy district and 80 in Medak district. One person died in Sangareddy district and two in Siddipet district due to these rains. Meanwhile, most of the paddy stocked at mills in the district has sprouted. The rice millers are appealing to the government to buy the damaged grain as they have to bear heavy losses due to the failure of the FCI officials to move the grain in time.