Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will visit the flood-affected areas of Khammam district in Telangana today, conducting an aerial survey to assess the damage caused by recent heavy rains and floods. Accompanying him on this visit will be Union Minister of State for Home, Bandi Sanjay.
The aerial survey will take place between 9 a.m. and 2.30 p.m., after which both ministers will hold a review meeting with state government officials. The officials are expected to brief Union Minister Chouhan on the extent of losses caused by the floods, particularly the impact on local agriculture.
Chouhan will tour several key areas, including the Khammam, Madhira, and Paleru Assembly constituencies. During his visit, he will inspect agriculture fields to gain first-hand knowledge of the crop damage, and interact with farmers from a village in Kasumanchi mandal to understand their difficulties and challenges.
A team from the Union Agriculture Ministry will accompany Chouhan, and they will hold discussions with state government officials to assess the damage and determine relief measures.
This visit follows Chouhan’s aerial survey of flood-hit Vijayawada in neighboring Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Joined by Andhra Pradesh’s Information Technology Minister, Nara Lokesh, Chouhan surveyed various parts of the flood-affected region. He revealed that approximately 1.8 lakh hectares of crops were destroyed, impacting around two lakh farmers.
Chouhan assured that both the Central and state governments will collaborate to provide necessary assistance to the farmers. He highlighted the severity of the recent floods, which resulted from an unprecedented 40 cm of rainfall within just two days, exacerbated by breaches in the Budameru Rivulet.
The Union Minister also stressed the importance of long-term planning to combat future floods, emphasizing that illegal mining along the rivulet worsened the situation. He called for strengthening the Prakasam Barrage, which was designed 100 years ago to handle a maximum water discharge of 12 lakh cusecs, but is now under strain due to the increasing intensity of floods.
As he embarked on his visit to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Chouhan assured both states of the Central government’s full support. He emphasized, “In this hour of crisis, the Central government stands fully with the people of the flood-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and will provide all possible help to them in overcoming the crisis.”
