CM Puts Officials On High Alert As Murasu Threatens Heavy Rain, Floods

Naidu noted that, on the positive side, the rainfall would replenish depleted tanks and reservoirs.

Reviewing the cyclone-related preparedness for a second time from the Real Time Governance Centre at the Secretariat, Naidu interacted with senior officials, district collectors and nearly 45,000 field-level personnel through a teleconference.

He said Murasu, with lower wind speeds and rainfall, was expected to be less intense than cyclone Arnab. However, several districts could receive moderate to heavy rain from Monday night through Tuesday.

The cyclone was likely to affect coastal Andhra from midnight on Monday to midnight on Tuesday, covering 848 Swarna Gram and ward secretariat jurisdictions. Palnadu, Prakasam, Markapuram, Bapatla, Guntur, NTR and Krishna districts were likely to be among the worst- affected, while moderate rainfall was expected across all districts.

Rainfall projections indicated that Palnadu could receive around 30cm, followed by Prakasam with 24cm and Markapuram with 19cm. Krishna and Guntur could record up to 9cm each, while Eluru and Nellore were also likely to receive around 9cm.

Naidu directed the officials to issue cyclone warnings every hour and shift people in low-lying and flood-prone areas to cyclone shelters and safer places. He cautioned people that the catchments of Nagarjuna Sagar, Pulichintala and Budameru would receive floodwater.

Budameru could record an inflow of 30,000 cusecs on Tuesday, while the Prakasam Barrage might receive a peak inflow of 2.75 lakh cusecs on November 4 before the flow gradually receded.

Gundlakamma and Pulichintala were also likely to receive substantial inflows.

The chief minister asked the water resources department and district collectors to guard against breaches in the state’s 14,760 minor irrigation tanks. He called for special attention to 6,800 tanks in six cyclone-prone districts, activation of water users associations and involvement of local communities in monitoring tank safety.

Works under the Jaladhara programme should be used to prevent breaches, he said.-

Naidu asked officials to store rainwater in tanks and reservoirs in Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Prakasam, Nellore and Markapuram, which had been facing rainfall deficits. He called for an action plan to maximise storage across the south coastal and Rayalaseema river basins.

He warned of possible damage to electricity poles in Guntur, Nellore, Bapatla, NTR, Palnadu, Krishna and Prakasam districts. While 31,000 poles had been dispatched from Srikakulam to Krishna, nearly 8,000 poles in south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema could be affected.

Around 5,000 personnel had been deployed for power restoration, with another 1,000 arriving from Chennai. Naidu asked officials to position teams in vulnerable districts, particularly Nellore and Prakasam, and restore supplies quickly.

Naidu cautioned that aquaculture, horticulture and agricultural fields could suffer damage.

Officials were asked to clear silt from drains, prevent inundation and deploy personnel in the worst-affected areas. Post-cyclone restoration should be completed within 48 hours, he said.

Recalling that advance precautions had reduced hardships during cyclone Arnab and normalcy had largely returned to affected areas, Naidu said priority was to prevent loss of life and minimise property damage. Officials, he said, must remain prepared until the cyclone crosses the coast. Even minor negligence could cause serious hardships.

The CM also called for faster disbursement of crop insurance compensation and input subsidies to farmers affected by natural calamities.