Unseasonal heavy rains and hailstorms in the last three days have left farmers in tatters across the State by damaging crop in over 1.15 lakh acres. The rains also claimed nine lives and damaged property, including houses and harvested crops in the market yards and procurement centres.
The rains, which battered Telangana districts on Thursday and Friday, hit the Coastal and Rayalaseema districts on Friday and Saturday.
According to Met officials, heavy rainfall ranging from 125 mm to 208 mm was recorded at 35 places in different parts of the State on Saturday. Kunavaram had the highest rainfall of 20 cm followed by Aswaraopet 18.6 cm, Kajuluru (18), Varamachandrapur (17.6), Penamaluru (17.4) and Tadepalligudem (17.2 cm).
Officials of the Revenue Department said that house collapses, thunderbolts and other incidents caused by rains claimed lives of nine persons -- four in Prakasam, two each in Mahabubnagar and Srikakulam and one in Warangal. Preliminary assessment of the standing crop damage by the Agriculture Department put the paddy, maize, bajra and sesamum crop loss in over 25,000 acres in 81 mandals of 10 districts with Warangal, Medak, Nalgonda and Krishna suffering the worst. Horticulture crops, particularly mango, were damaged in over 90,000 acres across 92 mandals in 12 districts with mango alone accounting for 88,325 acres. Standing fruit crops in Krishna, Karimnagar, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Adilabad and Warangal district bore the brunt of nature’s fury the most. The Horticulture Department put the loss, as per primary estimates, at over Rs. 36 crore.
Besides, over 1,200 tonnes of paddy (harvested) was damaged in market yards and procurement centres, according to the preliminary assessment of the Civil Supplies Department.
The rains also damaged eight houses in different districts.
The Met Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts.
Meanwhile, Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan directed Chief Secretary P.K. Mohanty to instruct District Collectors to assess the damage caused by rains and take up relief work immediately.
