Incessant rain lashed different parts of Prakasam district, including Ongole, as the northeast monsoon became active again on Thursday.
After a brief dry spell following Deepavali in the middle of November, the wet spell resumed in the last week of the month, bringing cheer to farmers, who could not sow much during the kharif season.
The downpour, which started late on Wednesday, continued on Thursday as well. The heavy rain left many roads in Ongole under a sheet of water. As a result, motorists had a tough time negotiating the potholed roads. Municipal workers, however, cleared many clogged drains.
The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast a low pressure area and depression over southeast Bay of Bengal around November 27, promising increased precipitation later this month.
‘’The current spell are very beneficial to farmers, who can prepare their land for sowing a variety of pulses, including Bengal gram in December,” said Agriculture Joint Director S. Srinivasa Rao. ‘‘We had distributed 23,000 quintal of Bengal gram seeds to farmers at subsidised rates; they can sow the seeds after the rains abate,” he suggested.
A report compiled by the Chief Planning Officer said the drought-prone district, which received a rainfall of 390.2 mm since June 2023, recorded 44.2% deficient rainfall.
Podili recorded a maximum rainfall of 41 mm followed by Chinarikatla at 34.25 mm, Chilakapadu 33 mm, Maripudi 32.25 mm, Pakala 32 mm, Thimmareddipalli 31.2 mm, Singarayakonda 30.7 mm, Kondepi 26.7 mm, Nipatapadu 26 mm, Narasingolu 25 mm, Thallur 23.7 mm, K. Upalapadu 23.5 mm and Chimakurthy 19.5 mm.
