WARANGAL/KARIMNAGAR/NALGONDA: Untimely rains and hailstorm have damaged various standing crops spread in one lakh acres in erstwhile Warangal, Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts, leaving thousands of farmers shattered. The rains were triggered by a sudden shift in weather.
Heavy rain on Saturday night caused a major damage to paddy, maize, mango, cotton, chilli and vegetable crops in 82,359 acres in Mahabubabad, Jangaon and Warangal districts. Hailstorm damaged maize, chilli and mango crops in the areas like Narsampet, Duggondi, Nallabelli, Khanapuram, Chennarao Peta, Nekkonda, Geesugonda, Shyampet, Paravathagir mandals in Warangal district, Kesamudaram, Nellikudur, Bayyaram, Thorrur, Gangaram, Guduru, and Kothaguda mandals in Mahabubabad district and Palakurthy, Devaruppula, Zaffergadh, Tharigopula, Narmetta, Chilpur and Station Ghanpur mandals in Jangaon district.
The preliminary report prepared by the Warangal, Jangaon and Mahabubabad district agricultural department officials was obtained by TNIE. According to Warangal officials, paddy was damaged in 9,450 acres, mango in 249 acres, cotton in 31 acres , groundnut in 16 acres and jowar in eight acres. Crops in 57,855 acres have been damaged and 43,423 farmers affected in Warangal.
Jangaon district agricultural officials said that paddy was damaged in 4,338 acres, maize in 1,628 acres, jowar in 27 acres, tobacco in 25 acres, chilli in 100 acres, mango in 50 acres, papaya in four acres and vegetables in 22 acres.
In Mahabubabad, the rains wreaked havoc with paddy in 4,890 acres, maize in 9,690 acres, mango in 3,050 acres, chilli in 630 acres, green gram in 50 acres. In total, crops in 18,310 acres suffered damage, affecting 7,567 farmers.
Meanwhile, low-lying areas in Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet were inundated and slum-dwellers spent sleepless night on Saturday following a heavy rain. Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Wardhannapet MLA Aroori Ramesh and Narsampet MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy visited several villages and consoled the farmers after inspecting the crops in Jangaon, Warangal and Mahabubabad districts. The minister and MLAs assured all help to the farmers.
Speaking to the media at Chinnavangara village, Dayakar Rao stated that it’s a huge loss to the farmers and assured that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will announce compensation after revenue and agriculture officials submit loss estimation. According to the minister, the CM assured financial assistance to those whose houses were damaged in the rains and directed the housing authorities to prepare loss estimations in their respective districts.
Farmers in Karimnagar district too were shattered by huge loss to their crops. However, the district officials are yet to enumerate the crop loss. Paddy was damaged mostly in Vemulawada, Chandurthi, Rudrangi and Yellareddipet and Gambhiraopet in Rajanna-Sicilla district. IT and MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao directed District Collector Anuraag Jayanti to submit a report on the crop damage immediately.
According to a report by the chief planning officer, district witnessed 28.1 mm rainfall in just one day. Boinpalli, Ghambhiraopeta, Yellareddipeta and Mustabad mandals registered excess rainfall. In Peddapalli, temporary road laid on Manair river breached due to heavy flood flow.
In Choppadandi, Ramadugu, Gangadhara, Kothapalli and Karimnagar rural mandals hailstorm played havoc on paddy and maize crops. In Kondapaka village of Veenavanka mandal tree fell on a house. According to a survey conducted by officials in Chelgal rural mandal, Kalikota in Kathalapur mandal, Mothukuru and Pasunur of Medipalli mandal in Jagtial district, paddy and seasame crops in 522.2 acres were damaged due to rains and hailstorm.
Suryapet Collector S Venkata Rao said that crops were damaged in around 14,429 acres due to sudden rains in the district in the last two days. Revenue, horticulture, and agricultural officials visited Tungathurthi mandal, where there was a lot of crop loss in the district.
Additional Collector (Revenue) S Mohan Rao and RDO Rajendrakumar assessed the crop loss. According to the preliminary report, crop loss was reported from nine villages in Thirumalagiri mandal and three villages in Thungaturthi mandal. According to the collector, paddy in 12,835 acres, maize in 44 acres, mango in 1,300 acres and chilli in 250 acres have been damaged in the district.