Amaravati: With Meteorological Department issuing more rain alerts, paddy farmers in Andhra Pradesh have given up hopes on the rest of the crop. The only way left for their survival is the compensation to be provided by the government in the form of farmer guarantee funds as a relief.
While the flood-hit areas in the Krishna district are gradually recovering, Lanka villages are still under water-logging. With the release of 6 lakh 15 thousand cusecs of water from Prakasam Barrage, the residential areas and farms below are submerged into water. Lanka villages are staying at resettlement centre.
The administration has advised locals to return home only after the sanitation work is completed. The water level at Jaggayyapeta has dropped to about 12 feet. Many villages in Avanigadda and Mopidevi Mandals are still submerged. At Puligadda Aqueduct the flood flow continued to decrease by two feet to 18 feet.
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Authorities initially estimated that crops were submerged about 23,000 hectares in Krishna district while the losses exceeding 33 per cent were taken into account. Farmers want flood compensation to be paid immediately as all their crops have completely rotten due to water and they want government support for a living.
Farmers have claimed that the officials who came to assess the compensation are asking for lease cards.
Collector Samuel Anand held a meeting with the authorities on flood relief measures in Guntur district.
"Farmers should not worry. Authorities have been directed to expedite drinking water, sanitation and mosquito control works in the flooded villages. MLA Undavalli Sridevi inspected the flooded crop fields in Tadikonda," he said.
Farmers of Atreyapuram Mandal in East Godavari district have expressed concern over waterlogging in their fields. On the initiative of MLA Chirla Jaggireddy, the water from the fields was diverted to the canal by hitting the R&B road near Uchchili. The MLA instructed the authorities to prepare proposals for the construction of the Sluije canal. The CPM leaders who visited the flood-affected areas in the Dendulur zone of West Godavari district have demanded that permanent measures should be taken to prevent floods.
Agriculture Minister Kursala Kannababu has assured that the government would take care of every affected farmer. He inspected the crop damage at Rameshwaram in Pedapudi zone and said that we are providing food and fresh drinking water to the flood victims.
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