IMD issues red alert: Crop losses soar and infrastructure hit hard in rain-hit Telangana districts

Telangana continues to suffer under relentless monsoon rains, with widespread crop loss and infrastructure damage reported across several districts. Flooding in districts like Adilabad, Mahabubabad, and Suryapet has submerged cotton and paddy fields, washed away saplings, and damaged roads, bridges, and canals.

Hyderabad: The State has been reeling under the impact of relentless heavy rainfall for the past one week with erstwhile Warangal, Mahabubnagar, Adilabad and Nalgonda being among the hardest hit. The threat still looms large as the India Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for multiple districts forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall until August 18, driven by a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal.

The downpours have caused widespread crop losses, severe infrastructure damage and disruptions to daily life. Final estimates of the damage are still awaited for enumeration of crop losses. Elected representatives, especially those from the BRS and other opposition parties are reaching out to the affected farmers.

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MLA Anil Jadhav has demanded that the government provide Rs 25,000 per acre as compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged due to heavy rains. On Sunday, the MLA inspected the crops submerged in water in Bazar Hatnur Mandal, Adilabad district, due to incessant heavy rainfall over the past two days. He consoled the affected farmers and assured them all support to revive their fortunes.

In Nennel Mandal of Mancherial district, two days of heavy rainfall have left farmers in tears. The incessant rains have submerged cotton and paddy crops, causing significant worry among farmers. Fields in low-lying areas are completely inundated with floodwater. Hundreds of acres of cotton fields near stream catchment areas have been flooded, with cotton plants entirely buried in mud.

Farmers are distressed, fearing that the crops in these muddy fields will perish. Additionally, floodwater remains stagnant in several acres. In villages such as Nennel, Mannegudem, Gollapalli, Nandulapalli, Avudam and Gangaram, paddy fields are completely submerged, leading to the rotting of paddy nurseries, as reported by farmers.

In many areas, the intensity of the floods has washed away saplings, and sand casting has rendered the fields unusable. Farmers are also concerned about breaches in nearby water bodies and canals. They are urging the government to immediately assess the crop losses and provide relief.

Compensating farmers will be crucial to enable them to go for fresh sowing wherever crops have been totally damaged. In Suryapet district, rains have wreaked havoc on agriculture and infrastructure. Hundreds of acres of paddy fields in mandals like Kodad, Nereducherla and Somaram have been submerged, with floodwater washing away saplings and depositing sand and silt, rendering fields unfit for cultivation.

The Musi River bridge near Rudravelli village in BB Nagar Mandal was severely damaged, disrupting connectivity between BB Nagar and Pochampally mandals. Overflowing streams in Kodad inundated residential colonies and key roads. The Ananthagiri-Kodad road stretch. which was covered under a sheet of water, is yet to surface. In Mellacheruvu Mandal, reservoirs and roads sustained significant damage, with the railway underpass on the Mellacheruvu-Chintalapalem road barricaded due to flooding.

Mahabubabad district faced similar devastation, recording an average rainfall of 50.1 mm, with Dornakal (62.4 mm) and Bayyaram (53.6 mm) among the worst-affected mandals. The swollen Jinnalavagu disrupted connectivity between Chinnagudur-Narsimhulapet and Illandu-Mahabubabad, isolating villages and hampering transportation. Paddy and cotton fields were inundated, with farmers reporting rotting saplings and mud-covered crops.

The district’s infrastructure, including low-level causeways and roads, were inundated by floodwater adding to the crisis.