Heavy rainfall, with a district average of 13.2 cm, brought relief to farmers in all mandals with each and every mandal receiving rain between 4.5 mm and 132 mm on Saturday night and early hours of Sunday. Several colonies in Anantapur city and looms of weavers in Dharmavaram town are inundated.
Nadimvanka, Pandameru streams in Anantapur town, Chitravathi river in western parts of the district were overflowing on Sunday morning and several colonies along the course of the water streams got submerged in floodwaters.
Material damaged
At Dharmavarm in YSR Colony, several houses were in three feet of water and all the weaving pits of handlooms were full of water damaging the raw material of weavers.
Motorised pumps were used at several places to drain out water from the weavers’ pits, but all could not afford it and till afternoon water continued to flow into their houses in Dharmavaram.
At N.P. Kunta and Pagadalavaripall village in OD Cheruvu mandal, heavy water flow into village tanks led to breach of bunds, which were plugged on a war-footing by the local officials.
Chitravathi river, which did not have any water flow from the point in Gorantla where it enters Andhra Pradesh, overflowed between Sangala and Jwalapuram and at Putluru and Jajikonda.
Meanwhile, while Anantapur was the only district in Andhra Pradesh with deficit rainfall of -25% on Saturday, recorded normal rainfall from June 1, till Sunday with 252 mm recorded for the season against a normal of 297.4 mm.
Rainfall between +19% and -19% is considered normal, said Chief Planning Officer Challa Premachandra. No major damage was reported from anywhere but personal belongings of people in some houses were damaged.
Farmers in entire district expressed happiness at the good rainfall and hoped that in the next few days there will be some more rain so that they could sow groundnut, horsegram and bengalgram for the rabi season.
