Telangana suffers 1,000-crore loss due to heavy rains

Hyderabad: Telangana has suffered a loss of nearly Rs 1,000 crore due to heavy rains which lashed the state in the last six days. According to initial estimations, the agriculture sector was the worst-hit followed by huge damage to the road network, breach of water bodies and devastation of a small portion of infrastructure in panchayat, municipal bodies which received incessant rains in the current monsoon season.

The State Agriculture department has taken up the enumeration of crop damage in all the rain-hit districts and it is estimated that the crop damage occurred in more than 3 lakh acres mostly paddy and cotton. Reports say that crops in more than one lakh acres were washed away in the floods in Warangal (Rural) district alone. The second highest crop damage in 50,000 acres has been reported from Narayanpet district. In Bhupalpally and Mulugu districts, crops were damaged in more than 25,000 acres and in Warangal (Urban) and Mahabubabad, it was reported that crops were damaged in 20,000 acres each.

The enumeration of damage of horticulture crops, mainly mango and sweet lime orchards and vegetable cultivation, was still underway, officials said, adding that paddy have been damaged in nearly 1.50 lakh acres; cotton in 1.20 lakh acres and red gram in 20,000 acres in the floods.

Officials said that paddy was in translocation stage when they got completely damaged. Farmers will have to take up fresh sowing operations in the place of damaged crops in the current farm season. Since the farm lands were filled with sludge, sowing operations will be resumed only after the lands are freed from the mud. Cotton was also damaged at the initial stage. Farmers will have to shell out money again to buy seeds, fertilizers and other required crop material to take up farming again in the season.

"North Telangana districts of old Warangal, Karimnagar, Adilabad and Nizamabad bore the brunt of the natural calamity. Old Khammam district was also affected under the influence of heavy rains. Horticulture was affected in parts of Nalgonda and Rangareddy districts, a senior official said, adding that the total crop damage would be around Rs 600 crore to Rs 700 crore. However, a final figure on crop damage will come out only after the completion of enumeration at ground level in all rain-ravaged districts.

The quantum of destruction of road network maintained by the Roads and Buildings Department was also huge. Roads maintained by the Panchayat Raj wing in rural Telangana have been damaged extensively in Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam districts. The authorities estimated the cost of the road damage will be to the tune of Rs 300 crore.

In the rain-hit urban local bodies, the drainage system and drinking water supply network was also damaged. Erosion of surface of municipal roads was a major destruction caused by the rains. Basic civic infrastructure in Warangal Urban and some municipal bodies in Karimnagar district was damaged. The damage of road network in Greater Hyderabad limits was also huge, officials explained.

"Restoration of the amenities in the municipalities will cost a bomb as the government is required crores of rupees to restore the civic amenities ," a senior official said, adding that Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister KT Rama Rao and Roads and Buildings Minister V Prashant Reddy will finalize a plan of action after getting the report on rain-related damage. The state government will seek Central assistance under the natural calamity fund once the enumeration of damage is completed.

The Irrigation officials also initiated a study on the impact of rains on irrigation infrastructure mainly the breach of tanks and damage to the canals and reservoirs due to overflows. The State Energy department also received a few complaints of damage of transformers and transmission network in some rain-hit areas. The repair works are already in progress.