Flood Fury In State: Fields under water, villages cut off

Amaravati: For thousands of families across Andhra Pradesh, the current flooding is no longer just a story of swollen rivers and overflowing fields; it represents the loss of months of labour, livelihoods, and the destruction of hard-won harvest on which they had pinned their hopes. Farmers who struggled through inadequate rainfall during the Kharif season are now watching standing crops disappear under floodwater, while families in river-island and low-lying villages are finding roads and access routes cut off.

The scale of the calamity is discernible in the preliminary assessment. Heavy rains and floods have inundated 43,802.83 hectares of agricultural land across 12 districts, affecting 69,258 farmers in 1,216 villages spread over 185 mandals, according to the Preliminary Crop Damage Report as of September 26.

The loss on the farm front is particularly stark in Srikakulam, where the Nagavali has spilled far beyond its banks. An inflow of about 70,000 cusecs pushed floodwater across thousands of acres, with water carpeting nearly 20 km. In several fields, there is knee-deep water. Around 15 villages, including Korlakota, Chimalavalasa and Kothapeta, have vast stretches of paddy under water, while roads connecting villages have also been submerged.

For these farmers, the disaster has come after an already difficult season. The source report records that they had struggled initially with inadequate rainfall and water availability and had managed to raise the Kharif crop with difficulty.

Now, with the crop approaching harvest, floodwaters have wiped out the results of herculean efforts. Farmers in Amudalavalasa are seeking immediate field inspections and compensation, with several villages reporting completely submerged fields.

The official preliminary assessment in Srikakulam records 7,259 hectares of paddy and 630 hectares of horticultural crops affected, besides 459.5 hectares of maize and 94 hectares of cotton. Horticultural losses have been estimated at about Rs 17.5 crore, with banana plantations accounting for 382.14 hectares and an estimated loss of Rs 11.46 crore. Strong winds have also brought down coconut trees.

The distress is not confined to Srikakulam. In Kakinada district, paddy over 3,127 hectares in 14 mandals has been submerged, besides damage to 22 hectares of cotton, 20 hectares of horticultural crops, and 16.88 hectares of banana plantations. In the Pithapuram constituency, 1,656 acres in 17 villages of Pithapuram mandal, 976 acres in six villages of Gollaprolu, and 96 acres in three villages of Kothapalli have gone under water. Some villages have been surrounded by floodwater following the overflowing of the Shuddhagadda stream.

Even as the northern districts grapple with crop losses, the Godavari basin is entering another critical phase. The discharge at Dowleswaram has reached about five lakh cusecs, with all 164 barrage gates opened to let the floodwater pass downstream. The inflow is expected to rise to 10 lakh cusecs by Saturday night, which could trigger a first-level flood warning.

The consequences are already being felt by people living in the Lanka villages of the Godavari. With access routes submerged, residents of several river-island villages are dependent on country boats and local vessels. In Ambedkar Konaseema, connectivity to 74 Lanka villages has been disrupted, including Pedapudi Lanka, Buruga Lanka, Udimudi Lanka, Arigalavari Lanka, Shivayi Lanka, and Jonnalavanka.

Upstream, the situation is equally worrying.

The Sabari is in spate, contributing about four lakh cusecs to the Godavari, while the flood impact has spread across 77 villages in seven mandals in the Polavaram region. Residents are being shifted to safer locations, tourism activities in the Agency areas have been suspended amid inundation of roads linking villages towards Bhadrachalam. The Gandipochamma Temple area is also likely to be submerged. The administration is preparing for a potentially more difficult phase.

Collectors of East Godavari, Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema and Polavaram have put all departments on alert, directed field-level staff to remain available and restricted leave. State Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed, particularly for the Lanka villages. With rainfall in Odisha continuing, authorities are preparing for further upstream inflows. Assessments indicate that floodwaters could continue rising through Sunday and Monday, with the possibility of flows reaching 20 lakh cusecs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K Varaprasada Rao

K Varaprasada Rao[email protected]

K Varaprasada Rao is a Senior Reporter with The Hans India, covering the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, Chief Minister's Office (CMO), State Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council and political affairs. With over 20 years of experience in journalism in Andhra Pradesh, he has extensively reported on governance, public policy, politics, and socio-economic issues that shape the state's development and influence the country's evolving landscape. He holds a postgraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. His reporting focuses on finance, industries, irrigation, agriculture, infrastructure, investment, public administration, and political developments, with a particular interest in analysing their long-term economic and social impact.

Read More