The floods cost Andhra's Srikakulam about ₹150 million; Allina rice fields still under water

Paddy fields lie under Nagavali flood water near Allina village in Burja mandal of Srikakulam district on Monday. | Photo credit: V. Raju

Floodwaters are receding in most of Srikakulam district, but in low-lying villages like Allina, Nagavali is still standing on paddy fields and farmers, who had just a few months left to harvest, now fear for their crops.

Crops in Santhabommali, Polaki, Meliaputti, Jalumuru and Burja mandals were inundated by unprecedented floods in Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Bahuda and other rivers.

Many areas of Srikakulam district have been affected by drought-like conditions due to deficit rainfall this year. However, the lands that have water from the canals of the great reservoirs are fertile and the farmers were going to reap the benefits of the crops they grew in a few months. But their fate changed a few days ago with flash floods that washed away their standing crops. Earning around ₹60,000 per acre, farmers have invested around ₹9,500 to ₹15,000 per crop, depending on the condition of the soil and the fertilizers and seeds used for the crops.

A TDP leader shows the flood-damaged crops at Allina village in Burja mandal of Srikakulam district on Monday. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

According to a government estimate, the total loss would be around ₹150 million due to the floods, which inundated crops and damaged structures at several places.

Farmers from low-lying areas are more worried about stagnation of water from the Nagavala in the fields. For example, Allina village in Burja Mandal is a completely low-lying area where 1,100 acres of paddy fields were damaged. Pativada Bhaskara Rao, a farmer of Allina village, urged the irrigation department to take steps to ensure quick drainage of water from the fields. Another farmer, Varada Rambabu, said if the water stagnation continued for a few more days, the crop would be completely damaged.

Flash floods in Nagavala and seasonal streams have damaged more than 500 acres of paddy and dykes in Allina village of Burja mandal in Srikakulam district. Footage from Saturday.

Video: V. Raju pic.twitter.com/6b9MbkFO0G

— The Hindu – Andhra Pradesh (@THAndhra) September 26, 2026

Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar told The Hindu that the crops would survive if farmers followed the instructions of agricultural scientists. “Senior agricultural scientists from Nagarjuna University, Naira Agriculture College and others will visit the fields and give recommendations to protect standing crops like paddy, maize and others. Based on their recommendations, the agriculture teams will organize awareness programs in the affected villages,” he said. “Farmers may face temporary difficulties but during rabi season they will benefit. All reservoirs and dams are full of water which is sufficient for irrigation and drinking water requirement till March 2027,” he added.

MARKFED Director Annepu Ramakrishna Naidu asked the Collector to ensure speedy completion of the enumeration so that farmers get financial assistance from the government.

A man throws his net across a flooded paddy field near Allina in Burja mandal of Srikakulam district on Saturday after the Nagavali overflowed.

Photo: @Vudimudiraju pic.twitter.com/fGxSFDX85l

— The Hindu – Andhra Pradesh (@THAndhra) September 26, 2026

Published – 28 Sep 2026 13:43 IST