Shaligouraram (Nalgonda): Even as the farmers are coping with losses after a torrential southwest monsoon that hit the State, unseasonal rains caused by a cyclone formed in the Bay of Bengal these past few days has increased distress to farmers. After months of hard work, their paddy crops that were ready for harvest are soaked and damaged by the unexpected downpour, leading to huge losses.
In Nalgonda district's Shaligouraram mandal, continuous heavy rainfall was recorded from 8 am to 1 pm on Friday, with the mandal headquarters receiving an unprecedented 93.3 mm rain. Around 2 lakh quintals of paddy stored in various procurement centres across the mandal were drenched due to the rain. In several low-lying centres, heaps of paddy were washed away by floodwaters, while in other places rainwater accumulated around the paddy stacks.
At a procurement centre run by PACS in Thirumalarayunigudem area, which was set up on dry land belonging to a farmer, massive flooding made the site resemble a lake. Paddy heaps were submerged in the water, forcing authorities to use JCB machinery to dig channels and drain out the stagnant water.
Farmers have suffered immense losses due to the torrential rains caused by the cyclone. With forecasts predicting heavy rainfall for the next two days as well, farmers are deeply worried. Meanwhile, hundreds of acres of paddy fields ready for harvest in several villages of the mandal have collapsed due to waterlogging. Many farmers, seeing their hard-earned crops destroyed, are left in despair.
The continuous six-hour-long downpour has turned low-lying areas into waterlogged zones, submerging paddy and cotton fields and causing widespread agricultural devastation.