Streams, reservoirs swell as rain fury continues

Khammam: After playing truant for long, finally when the Southwest Monsoon made its advent, it poured, literally. Heavy downpour has been lashing the district for the past three days, filling streams, rivers, reservoirs and check-dams to the brim. 

The average rainfall in the district was recorded around 46.8 mm while Enkoor, one of the mandals which was badly affected by drought, received more than 90.mm in July till date.

Enkoor, Chintakani, Kalluru, Penuballi, Vemsoor, Wyra, Kamepalli and Yerrupalem recorded more than 90 mm rainfall, Singareni, Mudigonda Khammam Urban, Konijerla, Sattupalli, Thallada and Madhira recorded more than 70 mm rainfall.

Many streams across the district are overflowing while the Palair, Lankasagar, Bethupalli and Wyra reservoirs are filled with excess inflow of rainwater.

With the initiations taken by Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, several check-dams were constructed on Munneru Vagu such as Theerthala, Jhonbadh Thanda and Gollapadu and Kachirajugudem check-dam on Akeru wagu. They are overflowing due to heavy rainfall that has been witnessed in the district for the past three days.

Many farmers across the district were seen busy in their fields involving in agricultural operations of preparing the land and initiating sowing operations since there was no rainfall for the last 20 days in the Kharif season which worried the farmers.

The targeted area for Kharif crops in the district is estimated to be 2.04 lakhs of hectares. Of which cotton is sown in about 1.12 lakh hectares and paddy in about 67,000 hectares apart from other crops in the remaining land.

All gram panchayats and other local bodies along with officials of Irrigation, Revenue, Medical and Health departments were put on alert in view of the heavy rains that lashed in the district to prevent any untoward incidents.