MAHABUBABAD: Pointing to a collapsed house in Ravirala village in Nellikudur mandal, 60-year-old C Narasamma, weeping, said, “We are left with no option but to beg.”
What once stood as a one-floor-high structure against the backdrop of the village was reduced to rubble. Not just the house, but all her belongings were also washed away in the floods. “We are appealing to the government to save us. The residents of the entire village, upon seeing their residences and agricultural fields, were not able to control themselves,” she added.
Like hers, the houses of many in Ravirala in Nellikudur mandal, Sitaram Naik tanda in Maripeda mandal and Mulkalapalle village of Dornakal mandal have been collapsed by the rains that lashed the district from Saturday last. This apart, government and private assets in the district have been damaged, causing hardships to the residents.
G Bheemudu, a resident of Sitaram Naik tanda, said he lost all his belongings and essential items to the floods. “My family has been forced to survive on the streets,” he stated, adding that he was looking to move to Mahabubabad town to earn a living.
‘Fields filled with silt’
With rains lashing the district, many farmers watched as their agricultural fields got flooded. Now with the waters receding, they are left with mounds of silt and unable to access their farms.
Many farmers have reported not being able to hire equipment or labourers to clear their fields. “Labourers are rejecting the works saying that it is too much work to clear the vegetation and sand,” they said.
A farmer from Ayodhya village in Mahabubabad Mandal, K Venkata Swamy, became unconscious after seeing his three acres of agricultural land affected by floods.
He had invested lakhs of rupees in crop cultivation during the Kharif season but was devastated upon seeing his fields completely covered in sand. Swamy is requesting the authorities for immediate assistance.
“I have no means to clear my agricultural fields. I have also lost my property and belongings in the flood, and no one is coming forward to help us,” he said, expressing frustration that the state government, district administration and local MLAs were only visiting the village and distributing essential commodities.
He said that though they were inspecting the ongoing restoration of electricity and roads, no one had spoken to them about any compensation from the government.