Sunstroke to aqua industry

Bhimavaram: Aqua farmers are suffering due to abnormal changes in weather. Farmers engaged in prawn cultivation have been complaining about virus and diseases in prawns.

The aqua farming has suffered a big blow during the summer and the crisis has lasted for about 100 days. As the monsoon spells have touched the State, they heaved a sigh of relief. 

The heavy rains for a couple of days revived their hopes on harvests. Though 80 per cent of prawns died during the summer because of extreme heat condition, they were waiting for rains to save the remaining crop.

The monsoon spells decreased the temperature drastically a fortnight ago. Their joy was short lived as the rains stopped after one week of heavy spells with winds. They expected the rains to continue for a few more days to tide over the aqua crisis.

But the steady rise in temperature during the last one week created panic among them. The summer like heat conditions prevailing during the last week are posing challenge to them.  

The prawns were dying because of scorching sun. A few of the prawns that survived contacted diseases because of virus.

Though the farmers have been following the suggestions of experts, the crop seems to hit because of unbearable temperature for the prawns.

The temperatures ranging from 40 to 42 turned out to be death knell for the farmers who have already made arrangements to release seed with the onset of monsoon. Now, all their hopes were dashed by the adverse weather conditions.