Fengal damages crops in Nellore, Chittoor districts

Farmers in Chittoor and Nellore districts are facing significant losses as crops were inundated by rainwater under the influence of the Fengal cyclone. The two districts have experienced heavy rain for two days due to the cyclone.
Paddy crops, ready for harvest, have been submerged in rainwater across thousands of acres. The worst-hit area is Nellore district, where large swathes of paddy fields and nurseries are under two to three feet of water.
Govinda Reddy, a farmer from Kodavaluru village, shared his despair: “The paddy fields, including nurseries, are submerged in two to three feet of water. Our hopes were shattered by the cyclone. All the crops that were ready to be harvested have been severely damaged as rainwater stagnated in the fields.”
In the Nellore district, particularly in Kovur, Kodavaluru, Vidavaluru, Buchireddypalem, and Alluru mandals, paddy fields and nurseries are inundated. Farmers’ union leaders reported that in the Kovur constituency, 60 per cent of the paddy crop in 1.1 lakh acres has been submerged by rainwater.
The farmers are unable to drain the water, leading to significant losses. In the Alluru delta area, over 500 acres of paddy have been marooned. With no hope of replanting, farmers are unable to replace the damaged crops.
In coastal Andhra Pradesh, farmers had kept their harvested paddy in the fields and along roadsides to dry. However, the unexpected rain soaked the paddy, further exacerbating the loss. The farmers have appealed to the government to expedite the paddy purchase process, as the persistent rains and cloudy weather have made it impossible to save their produce.
Horticultural crops in Railway Koduru constituency, Annamayya district, have also been damaged, especially in Penakaluru, Chitveli, and Koduru mandals. Overflowing streams, nalas, and canals have worsened the situation. The Errakaluvu strain is in spate, causing severe flooding, and many roads are impassable.
The Swarnamukhi River is also swollen, with floodwater spilling over the causeway on the Srikalahasti-Papanaidupet-Gudimalla highway, disrupting traffic. A school teacher, Ratna Kumar, was swept away along with his motorcycle, but villagers rescued him. Police, with villagers’ assistance, also rescued six people trapped in floodwaters in the Penna River near Jammipalem village, Kovur mandal.
Home Minister V. Anitha reviewed the flood situation in Rayalaseema and spoke with collectors, urging them to take necessary precautions.
Meanwhile, the deep depression over northern coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry weakened into a depression as it moved west-northwest. By the morning of December 2, it had turned into a well-marked low pressure area over North Interior Tamil Nadu. The system is expected to move westwards, emerging into the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea near the north Kerala-Karnataka coasts by December 3, 2024. The situation is being closely monitored.