IN TROUBLED WATERS: People's woes continue with water overflowing Chirala-Karamchedu road cutting off communication even on Wednesday. — Photo: Srrenivas Kommuri

ONGOLE: As Chirala, Karamchedu, Perchoor, Inkollu and Chinaganjam mandals continue to reel under floods caused by heavy rain in the last four days, several villages in these mandals were marooned and were inaccessible even on Wednesday.

While paddy crop was submerged on 50,000 acres in Krishna western delta, prawn tanks suffered extensive loss in these mandals.

Kommamur canal suffered breaches at several places. The Romperu drain, Vetapalem straight cut and Ipurupalem straight cut were flowing to the brim to drain off the water from the fields. It may take one or two days more for the water to recede for paddy plants and prawn tank bunds to reappear. Now, they were all submerged under four to 10 feet water and looked as one vast sheet of water.

The water was finding its own course to flow into the drains and reach the sea. For instance, water was overflowing the Chirala-Karamchedu road at one low point cutting off communication between the two places.

Curious people were thronging the place to watch water gushing through from east to west to reach the Romperu drain. As water was flowing waist deep, cars and buses could not cross the road at this stretch which looked more like a stream.

Even as the weather department issued another cyclone warning, Chirala and Ongole witnessed lightning and thundershowers in the morning forcing Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to cancel his visit to flood-hit areas.

His helicopter pilots advised him against flying in the area. He would come by Simhapuri on Wednesday night to tour flood-hit areas in Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts by road on Thursday.

Finance Minister K Rosaiah, who arrived at Chirala on Tuesday night, wanted to visit some affected areas on Wednesday. He had to travel by APSRTC bus to reach Karamchedu. He wanted to visit Swarna but could not reach the place. So he returned to Chirala.

Tanks submerged

A prawn farmer, Subba Reddy, was seen brooding over his losses. He said he had taken three acres of land near Romperu drain in Chinnaganjam village on lease of Rs 40,000 per acre per year. He got good yield in the first crop. He raised the second crop of prawn 40 days ago and spent Rs. 2 lakhs till now. The prawn had all been lost as the tanks got submerged in floodwater. "What I had gained in the first crop is now lost taking me back to square one," he said.

All the farmers who had raised prawn on 1000 acres suffered similar losses, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail