Thirty of the 46 mandals in Visakhapatnam district were badly affected due to the recent heavy rains. Six persons were killed in rain-related incidents. Though there were few incidents of flooding or inundation, the agriculture sector took a severe beating in the district.
According to the district administration, 13,135 farmers from 285 villages in 30 mandals suffered losses due to the overflowing of rivers and streams in rural areas. Around 5,795 hectares of agricultural crops was inundated. Farmers from Rambilli, Yelamanchili, S. Rayavaram and Atchutapuram were the most badly-affected.
According to the initial reports given by the officials on the losses, nearly 5,075 hectares of paddy fields, 666 ha of sugarcane, 84 ha of banana, 19 ha of cotton, 13 ha of ragi and nine ha of maize were affected. Meanwhile, 26 ha of vegetables, 23.6 ha of banana, 15 ha of papaya spread in 84 ha in 49 villages from 15 mandals were damaged by the rains. Similarly, 25 animals, including cows, buffaloes and others, and 11,100 poultry chicken, perished in the rains.
Tourism Minister M. Srinivasa
Rao inspected villages in Rambilli and Yelamanchali and assured farmers that the government would provide compensation. He said that the details regarding the crop damage was being displayed at all the Sachivalayams in the district.
GVMC suffers
₹15 crore loss
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation suffered losses of ₹15 crore, including damage to roads, electricity and water supply. A number of roads including the NH-16 developed potholes, resulting in traffic snarls. According to the officials, around 157 km of roads in the district, including the roads under the GVMC, have been damaged due to the recent rains.
