River Pranahita inundates standing crops on 20,000 acres in two districts

ADILABAD: River Pranahita was flowing high along Talai village in Bejjur mandal and its backwaters inundated standing cotton crop on a large scale in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district this week.

The flooding from the backwaters also affected the standing crops like cotton in Kotapalli and Vemanapalli mandals in the Chennur assembly segment in the Mancherial district. Some 15 villages on the banks of Pranahitha were inundated in Bejjur, Chinthalamanepalli and Kautala mandals.

River Pranahita merges into Godavari in Kotapalli area and this was where the backwaters entered the agriculture fields in villages on the banks of the river.

Local farmers have been pleading with the state government to implement the Pranahita Chevella project so that the floods could be controlled and the farmer's crops will be saved during the monsoon. The overflowing of the river is damaging standing crops near Sirpur (T) every monsoon. Waters from many rivulets and streams in spate enter River Pranahita.

As many as 20 villages were affected by the backwaters in Kotapalli and Vemanapalli mandal. Cotton crop was inundated in the floodwaters in Komaram Bheem and Mancherial districts.