KARIMNAGAR/ ADILABAD/ NIZAMABAD: Farmers are gripped with fear as untimely rains lashed Karimnagar, Jagtial, Peddapalli, Rajanna-Sircilla, Nizamabad, Kumurambheem Asifabad, Medak and Mancherial districts on Friday evening. They fear that if the rains continue, they might affect their standing paddy and mango crops.
Several parts of Nizamabad district, including Nizamabad urban, rural, Darpally and Armoor, among other mandals, received sudden rainfall on Thursday night and Friday evening.
Villagers said that hailstorms hit Darpally during the evening hours for more than 20 minutes. Meanwhile, a turmeric farmer, Aleti Naveen Reddy from Manthani village, used a drone to dry his turmeric yield after it got wet from the sudden rain on Thursday night.
He cultivated four acres of turmeric and harvested them a few days ago. Speaking to TNIE, the farmer said, “By using a drone, I dried my crop completely within 15 minutes.”
Naveen Reddy stated that it was the first time that a farmer used a drone to dry a wet crop and advised turmeric farmers to try this method. He added that operating a drone is very simple and that any farmer can do it.
He said that traders at Nizamabad Agriculture Market and other markets are purchasing the crop at a good price.
Meanwhile, in parts of Mancherial and Kumurambheem Asifabad districts, standing crops were damaged, tin roofs were blown off cattle sheds, trees were uprooted and electric poles toppled.
Due to the heavy rain in Kagaznagar, a 100-year-old tree near Pochama temple was uprooted and a few electric poles fell over. Officials are clearing trees and electricity poles and taking measures to restore the power supply.
Jagtial and Peddapalli districts reported hailstorms and devotees visiting Vemulawada temple in Rajanna-Sircilla district struggled to reach the temple from the bus station.
Hailstorms were reported in Medak rural areas. According to sources, lightning struck a house in Jambikunta street, Medak town. Fortunately, no one was present inside the house at the time of the incident. Utensils were reportedly damaged completely.
Trees and houses were uprooted, and a person lost his legs when an electric pole fell on him in Pothamsettipalli. Traffic was disrupted when a tree fell on the Medak-Hyderabad road.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumar held a review meeting with district collectors regarding the rains. She directed them to take immediate relief measures and asked the officials to enumerate the losses to houses and crops. She also asked them to stay alert, as some parts of the state might experience moderate to heavy rain.
The unseasonal rains occurred during a period of high temperatures recorded across various parts of the state in the past week.