Central teams assess ‘Cyclone Arnab’ damage on Kakinada, Narsapuram coast
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Joint Secretary to the Home Ministry Chittaranjan Das along with his team inspecting the damaged Uppada-Kakinada road in Kakinada district on Sunday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
The Inter-Ministerial Central team led by Joint Secretary to Home Ministry Chittaranjan Das on Sunday documented the devastation of ‘Cyclone Arnab’ along the Kakinada coast, where normal life is yet to be fully limp restored.
The team, deputed by the Centre viewed the devastation that led to huge losses incurred by the fisherfolk community to their movable assets—fishing boats and nets, and to road infrastructure.
On the Uppada coast, the coastal communities reported an irreversible loss to their habitations, shoreline and fish landing centres.
‘Cyclone Arnab’ damaged as many as 579 boats anchored at the Uppada-Ameenabad fishing harbour and adjacent landing centre, apart from damaging an estimated 1,000 fishing nets that can no longer be used. The road connectivity to Ameenabad fishing harbour, Uppada-Kakinada beach road, was completely washed away by the waves.
Irreparable loss: Nearly 90-kilometre of roads in 54 villages were cut off, with a majority of them along the coast damaged. At Uppada, the team could assess the magnitude of the damage to the coastal road, after witnessing that only boulders remained on the Uppada-Kakinada road while the rest of the materials used in laying the road were swept into the sea.
In Pithapuram Mandal, the team recorded the damage to paddy and horticulture crops that were due for harvesting during the winter. Banana farmers told the team that they had expected huge returns from the winter harvest. Joint Collector Apoorva Bharat said that a compensation of ₹35,000 per acre would be provided for the banana crop.
Crops, including paddy and horticulture, spread over 55,000 hectares have been damaged, affecting 86,000 farmers in Kakinada district. More than 11,000 people were directly affected by the cyclone. The team was briefed on the damage to public infrastructure and electricity facilities. A total of 214-km-long power lines were snapped, while 1,588 poles connected to 222 transformers were reported to have been damaged.
The central team inspecting an aquapond affected by cyclone Arnab near Narsapuram in West Godavari district on Sunday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
Aqua farmers: In West Godavari district, another central team led by Kollu Rekharani from the Central Water Commission inspected the damage to aquaponds, agriculture, horticulture crops and public infrastructure such as schools and government buildings.
Accompanied by District Collector Chadalavada Nagarani, the team inspected the damage to fishing boats at the Biyyaputippa fish landing centre in Narsapuram mandal and the cyclone’s effect on aquaponds in Palakollu mandal. The team was informed that nearly 2,000 personnel, including those deployed by the Telangana State government, were still involved in restoring power in the cyclone-hit areas.
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