Heavy rains accompanied by wind in many places brought respite to people reeling under sweltering heat in drought-hit Prakasam District on Friday. The cloudy weather all through the day brought down the maximum temperature by two degrees C to 34 in Ongole.
No loss of life or damage to property had been reported so far from anywhere in the district, District Revenue Officer Noor Basha Qasim said. Power supply was cut in the morning hours as a precautionary measure.
The rains which occurred in many places in western Prakasam brought cheers to farmers, who had earlier lost all hopes of saving sweet lime orchards in over 25,000 hectares in the wake of prolonged dryspell in the region.
However, it spelt trouble for salt producers in the coastal mandals.
Parched Pedacheruvu and Nagulacheruvu in Kanigiri town, where de-silting operations were taken up in full swing, got one ft of water each following overnight rains, much to the relief of people in fluoride-affected mandal, a local farmer Madhu said.
Hanumanthunipadu registered a maximum rainfall of 10.2 cm followed by Kanigiri(8.4 cm ), Giddalur(5.8 cm), Donakonda(3.9 cm), Mundlamuru(3.6 cm), K.K.Mitla(3 cm),Maddipadu(3 cm), Nagulapupadu(3 cm), Podili(2.8 cm), Kumrole(2.4 cm) Marripudi(2.4 cm), Tallur(2.3cm), Martur(2.2 cm), Peddaraveedu(2.2 cm), Chirala(2.1 cm) and Bestavaripeta(2 cm).
