Severe cyclonic storm Nivar caused a loss of over ₹520 crore to standing crops and public property in Prakasam district.
The heavy rains under the influence of the weather system adversely affected 1.68 lakh people in 902 villages and five towns in the district, officials told a central team headed by K. Ponnusway, Joint Director in Union Agriculture Ministry, during its visit to worst-affected Ulavapadu on Friday.
Standing crops on over 89,500 hectares, including horticultural crops in 11,176 hectares, were damaged due to heavy rains and flash floods causing an estimated loss of more than ₹326 crore to the farmers in the district, said the officials while taking the central team members to some of the damaged fields.
Roads coming under the Panchayat Raj department bore the brunt of the cyclone fury as also State highways to the tune of ₹195 crore, they said, adding that the weather system also left three persons dead in the district. Irrigation tanks suffered a loss of over ₹50.92 crore, they added. After interacting with a group of farmers, the Central team members assured them to present a factual account of the damage caused by Nivar to the Centre.
