Parts of Rayalaseema region in southern Andhra Pradesh are expected to witness rainfall on Sunday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). However, there is no rainfall forecast anywhere in the state from Monday to Wednesday. Meanwhile, winds from the northeastern direction continue to blow, weather officials said.
"Mainly low level north-easterlies prevail over Andhra Pradesh," an IMD official said. Likewise, no unexpected rainfall was witnessed in most parts of West Godavari district on Saturday, though it was cloudy with mild sun now and then.
Despite the winter setting in Andhra, maximum daytime temperatures in most places are between 30 and 35 degree Celsius. Among the places monitored on Friday, Arogyavaram registered temperature below 30 degrees, at 28.5 degree Celsius while Anantapur and Ongole towns registered a maximum temperature of 33.7 degree Celsius.
Last month, heavy rains in the state due to a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal had damaged crops over 67,864 hectares, according to figures released by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government. Eight districts suffered major damage — Visakhapatnam (5,435 hectares), East Godavari (29,362), West Godavari (15,926), Krishna (12,466), Guntur (381), YSR Kadapa (2,053), Kurnool (249) and Srikakulam (1,992). The damaged crops include paddy, pulses, sugarcane, maize, ragi, cotton and tobacco.
Following this, it was announced that a seven member central team would visit Andhra Pradesh for an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused by the heavy rains and floods in the state. Based on the study, the inter-ministerial team, headed by Rakesh Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, will also recommend whether the disaster in the state could be considered to be of a severe nature.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the time, requesting that the Union government immediately grant Rs 2,250 crore as immediate relief.
With IANS inputs