Incessant rain lashed the districts of Prakasam and Nellore districts in south coastal Andhra under the influence of a low pressure on Thursday.
The sky opened up in Ongole in the wee hours and the downpour continued all day in the city and other towns and villages in the coastal mandals bringing relief to the people as the district had 58% deficit with southwest monsoon playing truant.
Low-lying areas in the city including the old market area, Bhaghyanagar, Pragati colony and Balaram colony were inundated thanks to clogged drains. Drenched in rain, municipal sanitation workers cleared the blocks.
The steady showers played spoilsport with the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Ranji Trophy match as the third day’s play was washed out.
The seasonal condition improved for the better during rabi with cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’ bringing last week a couple of good wetspells to the district which had been in the grip of drought for the five consecutive years.
The fresh round gave impetus to the farm operations across Prakasam district raising hopes among farmers to also cover missed out areas during the khariff season when the crop coverage was only 1.94 lakh hectares as against the normal 2.26 lakh hectares. Khariff and rabi cropping seasons overlap in the district.
An enthused Agriculture department has fixed a target of 2.68 lakh hectare coverage during the rabi as against the normal acreage of 2.65 lakh acres, with bengal gram alone targeted for sowing in 90,000 hectares and tobacco in 45,000 hectares, the two principal commercial crops in the district. “The current spell is highly beneficial to farmers who can go ahead with sowing commercial crops in full swing and ensure life saving irrigation for khariff crops like red gram and chillis,” Agriculture Joint Director P.V. Sriramamurthy told The Hindu .
“Farmers have so far completed sowing in 88,769 hectares and the showers will enable them complete it in the targeted 2.68 lakh hectares in a fortnight or so.”
Ongole received 13.8mm rainfall in the last 24 hours while V.V. Palem recorded the maximum 23.2mm, Ponnalur (18.2mm), P.C. Palli (14.2mm) and C.S.Puram (13.4mm).
Nellore district received an average rainfall of 6.8mm. Chittamur received a maximum 38.8mm followed by D.V.Satram (32.8mm), Sullurpeta (30.4mm), Vakadu (29.8mm), Pellakur (29.2mm), Naidupeta (24.8mm), Chillakur (24.4mm) and Ozili (21mm) and Gudur (19.8 mm).
Moderate to heavy rainfall in Chittoor district
Moderate to heavy rainfall pounded Chittoor district on Thursday with the distribution turning out to be equitable. There had been no respite for the temple city of Tirupati, which had been under continuous drizzle for more than 24 hours, registering 65.2mm.
The data from the district authorities indicated the range from 0.1mm to 141.8 mm, over the last 24 hours. As is the norm, the eastern mandals contiguous with Nellore district and Tamil Nadu registered ‘very heavy rainfall’, with Yerpedu mandal alone getting 141.8mm, followed by Vadamalapet, Satyavedu and Varadaiahpalem.
Though the rain was constant, it was not a downpour and hence did not cause much damage to the crops. Alert had been sounded in villages situated close to rivulets and streams but the situation was under control. Western Chittoor also registered moderate rainfall, barring the four mandals of Peddamandyam, Molakalacheruvu, B.Kothakota and Gudupalle, situated on the western-most corner abutting Anantapuram district and Karnataka.
(With inputs from Special Correspondent, Tirupati)
