Cyclone Nivar effect: Chittoor District witnesses windstorms leading to crop damage

With the effect of the Nivar cyclone on Wednesday, Chittoor District witnessed heavy rains and high-speed winds. Due to the cyclonic weather, hundreds of acres of paddy crops fell down in the fields. Officials sounded a high alert to the Mandal officers to take up necessary precautions at villages. From the wee hours on November 25, all the 66 mandals affected by heavy rains and gales as a result tree uprooted and fell on the road in many villages and towns. At the world-renowned hill shrine Tirumala received moderate rainfall. But the weather has changed totally from the morning and devotees facing difficulty to move one place to another place by the foggy atmosphere.

Chittoor District Collector N Bharath Gupta declared two days official holidays for all the educational institutions on November 26, 27 in connection with cyclone warnings. The highest rainfall was recorded in BuchiNaidu Kandriga Mandal with 50 mm and 39.8 mm was recorded in Yerpedu Mandal of the district. According to official information, district machinery evicted around 1500 people from 17 villages in Varadhaiah Palem and Sathyavedu Mandal which were border areas of Tada and Sullurpet coastal belt. Previously above-mentioned villages were affected by cyclone flood flow. From these low lying areas, villagers were shifted to Village secretariats and school buildings.

Tirupati revenue divisional officials have provided food, sufficient water and other amenities as part of cyclone relief measures. Meanwhile District Incharge Minister Mekapati Gautam Reddy is also monitoring the situation along with Collector Dr N Bharat Gupta. He has stayed in Tirupati for the last two days. While the 5mm rainfall was registered in Tirupati followed by Srikalahasti 25 mm, Sathyavedu 20mm, Vardaiah Palem 29mm, Thottambedu 29mm, Pichaturu 5mm, Nagari 11mm respectively. Since early hours of Wednesday in eastern mandals crops affected by gales and fell in fields.

Officials concentrated on Tirupati revenue division which is very adjacent to Nellore District and set up control rooms in Chittoor District headquarters. Tirupati RDO Kanaka Narasa Reddy is in the field of cyclone relief operations. He supervised the MROs and collects the updates over cyclone damages and relief activities. " We geared up all the 14 mandals officials in which recognised highly vulnerable places for cyclone damage, myself directly involved in relief operations as per the AP state government disaster management department guidelines" RDO Kanaka Narsa Reddy told The Hans India.