Cyclone 'Murasu' triggers heavy rainfall, inundation in coastal AP; Guntur records 298 mm, Ponnur 313 mm

Bapatla district recorded the highest average rainfall

VIJAYAWADA: Cyclone Murasu has triggered extremely heavy rainfall, inundation and disruption to normal life across parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh, with Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam and Palnadu among the affected districts. Guntur district recorded the highest rainfall among urban local bodies, with Ponnur receiving 312.76 mm, followed by Guntur city at 298.36 mm. Several other towns in the coastal belt also experienced very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. Bapatla district recorded the highest average rainfall among all districts at 56.95 mm during the 24-hour period from 8.30 am on November 2 to 7 am on November 3. Prakasam recorded 32.15 mm, Guntur 26.59 mm and Palnadu 4.01 mm during the same period. The figures indicate that the cyclone's impact was concentrated over the southern and central coastal districts, with intense localised downpours causing inundation in several locations. The preliminary assessment by the Agriculture Department also points to substantial crop exposure, particularly in paddy and cotton fields. Across 15 districts, about 30,661 hectares of paddy and 21,474 hectares of cotton at vulnerable crop stages have been identified as potentially affected. However, these are preliminary estimates of expected damage. A separate field-level report has confirmed crop inundation across 5,969 hectares in two districts, including 5,619 hectares in Bapatla alone. The crop-wise assessment shows that the potential damage is not confined to paddy. Cotton accounts for 21,474 hectares, or 18.4% of the area under cultivation at vulnerable stages, with Palnadu alone accounting for 14,980 hectares and Markapuram for 4,417 hectares. Maize damage is estimated at 605 hectares, with Prakasam accounting for about 343 hectares. The Agriculture Department has cautioned that these estimates are preliminary and will require field verification. In Bapatla, inundation was reported across 16 villages, affecting 9,600 farmers. Around 5,600 hectares of paddy and 19 hectares of blackgram were reported inundated. East Godavari reported another 350 hectares of crop inundation across 19 villages, affecting 466 farmers. The combined preliminary inundation figure stands at 5,969 hectares across 35 villages. Prakasam district reported the highest impact, with 99,899 people from 30,895 households affected across eight mandals and 27 villages. Bapatla reported 25,788 people affected across 25 villages in 10 mandals, while Krishna district reported 9,205 people affected across 120 villages and 14 mandals. In Palnadu, 573 households were listed as affected across three mandals. Guntur reported 252 people affected in three villages. Across the state, 1.75 lakh people from 44,651 households were covered in the preliminary impact assessment. The preliminary damage assessment also reported 39 instances of inundation across the districts, of which 28 had been rectified and 11 were pending. As many as 112 electric poles were identified as damaged, with only one reported as rectified at the time of assessment. The report also recorded 71 uprooted trees, of which 69 had been cleared. No human casualties, house damage or livestock losses had been confirmed in the initial assessment. The Agriculture Department's estimates cover crops at different stages, including flowering, grain filling, maturity and harvesting. Paddy damage is estimated at 30,661 hectares, accounting for 5.7% of the 5.33 lakh hectares under vulnerable crop stages. Cotton accounts for 21,474 hectares, while maize damage is estimated at 605 hectares. The actual extent of losses is expected to become clearer after field-leve

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