Two cyclones devastate livelihoods in coastal Andhra Pradesh districts
Thousands of coconut trees and lakhs of acres of paddy fields were destroyed in Konaseema and West Godavari following two storms.
Two cyclones hitting the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh within a week have caused widespread destruction to coconut trees, paddy fields, and fishing equipment, according to The Hindu.
The storms, identified by the A.P. State Disaster Management Authority as ‘Very Severe’ Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) Arnab and ‘Severe’ Cyclonic Storm (SCS) Murasu, occurred between October 28 and November 3.
In Konaseema district, over 73,500 coconut trees were uprooted and paddy was destroyed across 1,18,109 acres, affecting approximately 88,000 farmers.
West Godavari district reported 27,397 coconut trees destroyed, which has affected more than 5,000 small and marginal growers.
The region faced violent gales of around 150 kmph during the landfall of Arnab on October 28 and 29, followed by extremely heavy rainfall on November 3 and 4 after Murasu made landfall near Ongole.
The cyclones also impacted Bapatla, Guntur, East Godavari, and Palnadu districts, while dozens of boats in the fishing communities became dysfunctional.