Amaravati, Nov 4 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday conducted an aerial survey of Guntur, Bapatla and Prakasam districts affected by the cyclone ‘Murasu’
He directed officials to take immediate steps to clear waterlogging in Karamchedu, Kothapatnam, Chirala, Chilakaluripet and Parchur.
Later, in a review meeting at RTGS, the Chief Minister instructed district collectors to ensure that road traffic was not disrupted.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that heavy rains were continuing in tribal areas of Eluru district. The Eluru District Collector reported that minor irrigation tanks in some areas are overflowing.
Earlier, Chandrababu Naidu appealed to the Central Government to extend all possible assistance to Andhra Pradesh to address agricultural losses and hardships faced by people due to severe drought conditions in the state.
The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which visited the state to assess the prevailing drought situation, met the Chief Minister on Wednesday. Members of the team, who toured Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai districts in two groups on November 2 and 3, briefed the Chief Minister on their drought assessment findings.
The Chief Minister explained that while coastal Andhra Pradesh was facing the challenges posed by cyclones, Rayalaseema and several other regions were reeling under severe drought due to deficient rainfall and the impact of cyclone El Nino.
He said the assessment had provided a clear understanding of the rainfall deficit, crop losses, farmers’ difficulties and the relief measures being undertaken by the state government.
The Chief Minister informed the IMCT members that the state had received significantly below-normal rainfall this year, resulting in severe damage to Kharif crops due to prolonged dry spells. The situation was particularly alarming in Rayalaseema, where farmers were facing shortages of irrigation water, drinking water and fodder.
He drew the Central team’s attention to Anantapur district, which recorded the second-lowest rainfall in the country.
The state had declared 388 mandals across 21 districts as drought-affected areas and had already submitted a report seeking Central assistance after assessing the losses suffered by farmers.
Naidu said the state would submit a detailed report on the drought situation to the Centre within a week.
The Chief Minister stressed the need to promote natural farming on a larger scale, explaining that it required substantial human resources at the field level. In this regard, he requested the Central team to increase the minimum number of workdays under the VB-G RAM G scheme to 200 days and allow its utilisation for agricultural activities.
He said the move would help address the shortage of agricultural labour while creating additional employment opportunities in rural areas.
–IANS
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