Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday pressed for immediate financial help after Cyclone Murasu left behind damage the state puts at Rs 2,484.43 crore.
"We have sought immediate financial assistance from the Centre to undertake relief and rehabilitation works," Naidu said in a press release, after a virtual meeting with a seven-member central team. Led by Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Chittaranjan Das, the team had recently visited close to 60 sites in Bapatla, Palnadu, Eluru and East Godavari districts. Naidu has asked it to submit its findings within 10 days.
Road damage alone is pegged at Rs 888.8 crore. Over 1,385 km of roads were affected, with 36 breaches and 65 damaged culverts. Damage to rural infrastructure also included 114 roads spread across 220 km.
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Agriculture suffered losses of about Rs 874.9 crore, with over 1.4 lakh hectares hit and roughly 1.4 lakh farmers affected. Horticulture losses came to Rs 337.1 crore, spread over 6,756 hectares and 12,605 farmers. In Eluru, an estimated 90 percent of the paddy crop was lost, against 80 percent in East Godavari, a district said to have suffered more this time than during Cyclone Arnab.
The storm also brought down 10,192 11-kV poles and 6,442 low-tension poles, and damaged 1,448 distribution transformers. Some 369 irrigation sources were hit and 509 breaches recorded. Of the 3,859 houses damaged, 645 were huts. Emergency relief spending is estimated at Rs 37 crore.
What The Team Found
At sites including Surappagudem, Ravulapalem, Chirala and Boppudi, the officials checked fields, canals, roads, homes, fishing boats and duck-rearing units. They noted that desilting canals and streams ahead of the storm had reduced losses. They also found that cotton farmers had largely kept away from crop insurance because premiums were steep.
Among the team's recommendations were rations three times within 30 days, uniforms for pre-school children, special help for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups and higher compensation for organic and natural farmers.
Naidu Points To El Nino
Naidu blamed El Nino conditions and two cyclones arriving within a short span for the extent of the damage. Preparations were made in advance, he said, and roads, power and mobile services were restored within a day. The state is arranging crop insurance support and additional rations, and Naidu called for infrastructure that can better withstand disasters.
(With PTI inputs)
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