Floods Damage Crops Across Andhra Pradesh As Godavari Rises Again

Heavy rainfall induced by a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has triggered widespread flooding across Andhra Pradesh, damaging agricultural lands and disrupting vital transport infrastructure. The Godavari Delta and Godavari Valley are facing flood surges for the second time within six days, driven by massive inflows from upstream rivers in neighbouring states.

State officials reported that preliminary estimates place crop damage across thousands of hectares, impacting tens of thousands of farming households. Rescue and relief operations have been mobilized in vulnerable districts, while authorities issue evacuation advisories for island settlements along swollen river corridors.

Agricultural Devastation Across 190 Mandals

Preliminary agricultural department estimates indicate that crop losses span 1,229 villages across 190 mandals, directly affecting an estimated 71,796 farmers. Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu stated that horticultural crops alone suffered damage across 89 mandals and 351 villages in 14 districts. Statewide, initial assessments show horticultural destruction exceeding 1,734 hectares alongside approximately 44,029 hectares of agricultural crops.

According to The Hindu, all reservoirs and barrages across Srikakulam district were filled by floodwaters, securing irrigation and drinking water availability through March 2027. According to The Hindu, under SDRF norms, horticultural crop losses of 33% or more receive input subsidies of ₹17,000 per hectare for irrigated crops and ₹22,500 per hectare for perennial crops, capped at two hectares per cultivator.

In Srikakulam district, where floodwaters from the Vamsadhara, Nagavali, and Bahuda rivers inundated local fields, damages are estimated at ₹150 crore. Srikakulam alone recorded approximately 30,000 acres of submerged agricultural land affecting 28,885 farmers across 382 villages. Cultivators in regions like Allina village in Burja mandal reported severe paddy destruction after Nagavali river waters stagnated across 1,100 acres.

Rising Inflows at Dowleswaram Barrage

Upstream heavy rainfall in Odisha and Chhattisgarh funnelled significant discharge from the Sabari and Sileru rivers directly into the Godavari river system. By Monday, the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram in Rajamahendravaram recorded incoming floodwater exceeding 9.7 lakh cusecs, forcing authorities to brace for secondary flood peaks within a single week.

According to The Hindu, for Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage, The record flood discharge at Dowleswaram Barrage was 35.06 lakh cusecs in August 1986, followed by peak flood discharge exceeding 25.8 lakh cusecs in July 2022. According to The New Indian Express, the Andhra Pradesh R&B Department estimated ₹162.09 crore for temporary and ₹1,336.83 crore for permanent restoration of roads, completing temporary repairs on 169 of 187 damaged culvert and drainage works.

In Polavaram district, situated between the Sabari and Godavari channels, flood alerts were issued across 171 villages. Integrated Tribal Development Agency Project Officer Subham Nokwal reported that 17 habitations had been submerged by Monday, while 55 motor boats and eight launches were positioned at Kunavaram and V.R. Puram for emergency evacuations. Meanwhile, officials in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district advised residents of vulnerable island settlements to evacuate and refrain from utilizing traditional rivercraft.

According to The Hindu, low-level causeways across the Nagavali and Vamsadhara basins wash out during depressions, isolating dozens of villages and causing extensive road breaches across 412 km of Srikakulam roadways. According to The Hindu, banning traditional rivercraft during peak Godavari flood alerts cuts off daily transit for students and farmers in Konaseema island habitations, requiring official motorized rescue boats with life jackets.

Road Infrastructure Disruption and Restoration

Transportation networks suffered extensive damage, with Roads and Buildings Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy reporting that roughly 2,405 kilometres of roadways were affected statewide. The preliminary cost to restore these compromised transport links has been calculated at ₹1,498.30 crore, with Srikakulam district bearing the heaviest burden after sustaining damage across 412 kilometres of department roads.

The deluge also fractured local connectivity by washing out a causeway at Allina village in Burja mandal, isolating roughly 53 villages and severing routes toward Srikakulam town, Palakonda, and Burja. District administration teams led by Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar sanctioned ₹10 lakh for immediate temporary repairs while proposing a permanent bridge structure costing approximately ₹50 lakh.

Administrative Enumeration and Relief Measures

District administrations have deployed field teams to clear uprooted trees, restore electrical lines, and enumerate agricultural losses using the Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Information Management System application. The digital verification process requires uploading crop damage photographs alongside cultivator bank account details to facilitate promised state compensation.

Agriculture officials have also coordinated visits by senior agricultural scientists to inspect surviving fields and advise farmers on alternative cropping strategies given the prevailing waterlogged conditions. The state government continues to monitor upstream reservoir releases as downstream delta regions manage peak discharge volumes.