Guntur: Agriculture, horticulture crops flooded in 15,000 hectares

Guntur: Agriculture and horticulture crops were inundated in over 15,000 acre in the district due to floods. Paddy, banana, yam, turmeric, vegetable gardens were submerged in Repalle, Bhattiprolu, Kolluru, Kollipara, Vemuru, Krosuru, Pedakurapadu, Achampet and Sattenapalli mandals. Cotton, papaya, chilli gardens suffered maximum damage in the floods.

A 14-year-old boy, Heamanth, was washed away in the overflowing stream between 88-Talluru-Uyyandana villages in Krosuru mandal. Police pressed swimmers into service to trace his body. Fish ponds were breached in Repalle.

Cotton flowering has already started dropping. If floods continue, the farmers will suffer more losses. Banana and turmeric gardens were worst affected in Tenali revenue division. Rainwater entered a Shiva temple in Repalle mandal.

Road connectivity was cut off to many villages in Bhattiprolu and Kolluru mandals. In a Eepurulanka, when a pregnant went into labour parents could not shift her to hospital due to lack of road connectivity. She delivered at home in the village. Later, mother and child were shifted to hospital by 108 vehicle. . Floodwater entered a Sivalayam at Morthota village under Repalle rural mandal.

District collector I Samuel Anand Kumar conducted a review meeting and directed the revenue officials take all the precautionary measures to avoid human and property loss.