Minister assures aid for submerged farmlands in Srikakulam district - The HinduUpdated - September 25, 2026 07:41 pm IST - SRIKAKULAM:Paddy fields got inundated near Laveru of Srikakulam district. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTTwo days of torrential rain created havoc in Srikakulam district, with over one lakh cusecs of water being released from three major river projects that have submerged nearly 30,000 acres of farmland and forced the evacuation of over 12,000 people living in low-lying areas in the district on Thursday morning.A well-marked deep depression over the Bay of Bengal crossed the north Andhra Pradesh coast close to the Kalingapatnam coast in Srikakulam district during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.Although the situation is under control, paddy fields got damaged with the release of large quantities of water due to continuous inflows from the catchment areas of Nagavalli, Vamsadhara, and Bahuda rivers. The irrigation officials released 66,900 cusecs of water from Narayanpur anicut of the Nagavali river on Thursday afternoon after receiving the same quantity of water from the upper region. As much as 41,425 cusecs of water had been discharged from the Gotta barrage constructed on the Vamsadhara River, while 35,656 cusecs of water from the Bahuda River project was released.The discharge of water from these river projects has submerged 30,000 acres, damaging the crop in Burja, Amadalavalasa, Srikakulam, Narasannapeta, Polaki, Santabommali, and Kotabommali mandals.Minister for Agriculture K. Atchannaidu visited the villages hit by floods and assured the farmers that the government will make compensation for the crop loss due to floods. He said that enumeration would begin in a couple of days as the government will send various teams of agriculture officials to assess the damage in their respective areas.Srikakulam Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar and Superintendent of Police K.V. Maheswar Reddy visited flood-affected areas of Allena village of Burja mandal in the district. Both waded through the flooded streets and interacted with the villagers and said that the government had made arrangements for shelter and food for them for the next few days.“With the collective efforts of the administration, the government had minimised the damage due to floods in the district,” Mr. Swapnil told The Hindu.Published - September 25, 2026 07:38 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }