The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rain disrupts normal life

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 11, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rain disrupts normal life

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI. Sept. 10. Normal life was thrown out of gear in the temple town of Tirupati and its suburbs under the influence of an active south-west monsoon in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Tirupati urban alone recorded a rainfall of 108.4 mm during the last 24 hours against Tirupati rural's 78.4 mm. The next highest rainfall was in Pulicherla (40 mm) followed by Pichatur (35 mm), Varadaiahpalem (24), Sathyavedu (20) in the Tirupati Revenue division.

Welcome relief

The showers, though a bit belated from the point of view of the 1.4 lakh hactares of groundnut crop sown in the district, is nonetheless timely at least to salvage whatever standing crop. Besides breaking the dry-spell, the two days of cloudburst has improved the water levels in the irrigation tanks of rain-shadow district which is in the grip of an acute drought. 53 out of its 66 mandals have been officially declared as drought-hit even as pressure is mounting on the administration to declare the entire district as drought hit.

Varuna Japam

Meanwhile the five-day Varuna Japam organised by the TTD at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, concluded today. The ritual was performed to propitiate the rain god to augment the depleting water resources at Tirumala and Tirupati and help them meet the huge pilgrim influx for the two Brahmothsavams due over the next 40 days. The grand finale to the religious ceremony was marked by a Poornahuthi performed by a battery of 17-member TTD veda pundits led by Chandrasekhara Ghanapathi.

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