Unseasonal rains leave trail of disaster

Karimnagar: Normal life was disrupted and crops damaged due to unseasonal rains from Saturday evening to Sunday morning across the erstwhile Karimnagar district.

Rice, maize and sesame crops were damaged by hailstones larger than pebbles. Mango orchards were also affected due to rains. Farmers were worried that hundreds of acres of crops have been damaged in the combined district due to the rain. Agriculture department officials are preparing crop loss estimates.

Trees were uprooted in many places due to strong winds. Due to two days of thunder and lightning in Karimnagar, power supply was interrupted in many places. Sircilla district Collector Anurag Jayanthi has been directed to submit a report on the crop damage due to rains by Municipal Administration Minister KTR.

Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar and Welfare Minister Koppula Eshwar also asked the crop damage details from the Collectors. Huzurabad in Karimnagar district recorded the highest rainfall of 7.63 cm. Chigurumamidi mandal recorded 7.23 cm and Indurthi 6.6 cm of rainfall.

On Saturday 3.20 cm of rainfall was recorded in Karimnagar district, 2.34 in Rajanna Sircilla district, 2.33 in Peddapalli district and 1.70 cm in Jagtial district from evening to Sunday morning.

About 2,54,000 acres of paddy was cultivated and it was estimated that there would be about 10 percent crop loss due to this hailstorm. Paddy was completely damaged in 8,500 to 9250 acres, and it was said that the complete loss could be estimated in two or three days and the crop loss will increase further.

Officials have made a preliminary estimate that 8,512 acres of maize crop was damaged. It was estimated that 450 acres of mango, 4948 acres of paddy, 35 acres of tomato, chilli and other vegetable crops have been damaged due to hailstorm in various villages of Gangadhara mandal under Karimnagar division.