Heavy Rains Revive Crops, Inundate Fields in Parts of Adilabad
While recent rains revived drought-hit crops across the erstwhile Adilabad district, floodwaters from the Pranahita and Penganga rivers submerged thousands of acres of farmland in low-lying areas.
Heavy rains that lashed the erstwhile Adilabad district last week revived standing crops that were on the verge of withering after a prolonged dry spell, but also inundated cotton, soybean and redgram fields in several villages along the Pranahita and Penganga rivers.
Farmers said the delayed rainfall saved cotton crops and renewed hopes for the kharif season across the district.
However, backwaters of the Pranahita river submerged standing crops in villages along its banks in the Sirpur (T) Assembly constituency, while the Penganga river overflowed into agricultural fields in Bela, Jainad and Bhoraj mandals of the Adilabad Assembly constituency.
The Pranahita, flowing in spate due to heavy upstream inflows, inundated crops in hundreds of acres in Talai, Papanpet, Somini and Mogavelli villages in Bejjur mandal.
Soyam Chinnaiah, sarpanch of Sulugupalli village in Bejjur mandal, said farmers in Sirpur (T), Bejjur, Koutala, Penchikalpet, Chintalamanepalli and Dahegaon mandals had begun paddy transplantation in tanks and ponds filled by the recent rains. He also said road connectivity to Tonkini and Parigaon villages had been disrupted by the Pranahita backwaters.
Penganga floodwaters entered agricultural fields in Sangidi, Bedoda, Guda, Maniyarpur and Koddur villages in Bela mandal; Karanji, Kapri, Sangi, Kauta and Anandpur villages in Jainad mandal; and Pendawada village in Bhoraj mandal.
According to preliminary estimates by the agriculture department, crops in about 5,000 acres were damaged in Bela, Jainad and Bhoraj mandals.
Floodwaters from overflowing streams and rivulets also entered agricultural fields in Utnoor, Indravelli, Kerameri, Lingapur, Jainoor and Sirpur (U) mandals in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
