Chittoor farmers in worry over Nivar cyclone effect on Paddy and Tomato crops

Farmers of Chittoor District are worried about the Cyclone Nivar as now many Kharif crops are in harvesting and in yielding stages. In the situation deep depression in Bay of Bengal may hit the district on 26, 27 of this month, if it would happen crops will be damaged immensely. In view of that, District Collector urged the farmers to harvest the maximum extent of crops which have been cultivated like Paddy, Tomato and other vegetables and floriculture.

According to Agriculture department statistics, around 7,500 acres of paddy fields are ready for harvesting. In the meanwhile around 35,000 acres of Tomato and other horticulture crops are at yielding stage. As of now farmers have invested lakhs of rupees on these crops cultivation.

Following the cyclone warning by the IMD Chittoor District Collector N Bharat Gupta sounded alert and directed officials to stay in mandal headquarters to monitor the situation round the clock. Meanwhile the collector instructed the all MROs and Water Resource Management Department engineers to examine the tanks and reservoirs bunds strength and take the precautionary steps to strengthen the dams bunds by placing sandbags.

As per the officials prediction cyclone may cause severe damage of properties, crops in eastern and western mandals of the district. According to IMD alert, Sathyavedu, VaradaiahPalem, Thottambedu, BN Kandriga, Nagalapuram, Pichatur, Yerpedu, Srikalahasti, Renigunta, Tirupati Urban and Rural, Chandragiri, Pakala, Pulicherla, RC Puram, Vadamalapeta , Naryanavanam, Nidra, Vijayapuram and Nagari mandals will witness heavy rainfall during next three days November 25, 26, 27.

Due to sufficient rainfall received in the last three months all the minor irrigation tanks have sufficient water reserves, this is also one more cause for officials' anxiety because Nivar cyclone may hit the irrigation tank bunds in terms of heavy flood flows. With prior assessment, Collector Gupta is directly supervising the situation and following up the officials on advance relief measures. Even though he was participating in President Ramnath Kovind visit protocol duties similarly he executed the cyclone precautionary measures at district level.

As far as the Nirva cyclone concerned, District Authorities has set up control rooms in every divisional headquarters at Madanapalle, Tirupati and Chitooor as well.