Vijayawada woke up to a cloudy sky on December 4 (Monday) as Michaung, which turned into a severe cyclonic storm by noon, triggered wet spell in the city.
While light rain continued through out the day across the city, India Meteorological Department has predicted that NTR district will record very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on Tuesday, when the severe cyclone is going to make a landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam. Vijayawada Central recorded the highest of 12 mm rain until 4 p.m. on Monday.
A notification from the IMD on Monday morning gave red alert to NTR district.
Following this, all educational institutions, including government and private schools and colleges, have been asked to remain shut on Tuesday. Anganwadi centres, too, will remain closed. Pregnant and lactating women have been cautioned against going to the centres on Tuesday.
After participating in a video conference with Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Dsitrict Collector S. Dilli Rao has asked officials to alert people living in huts near the catchment area of Krishna river about the cyclone and its impact. He also asked municipal authorities to ensure that rain water is not accumulated in open drains.
Paddy purchase
Out of 41,163 hectares of crop area, paddy has been harvested in 6,520 hectares in NTR district, and out of 45,103 metric tonnes of yield, 12,993 metric tonnes of paddy has been sold by farmers in open markets. The rest will be stored in godowns, the Collector said. He added that 2,391 metric tonnes were purchased through Rythu Bharosa Kendras earlier, and as soon as they got information about the cyclone, the district officials ensured that another 500 tonnes of paddy was purchased to minimise the damage incurred by farmers.
Regional Joint Director of the Agricultural Marketing Department K. Srinivasa Rao said farmers who do not have the facility to store the yield can keep them in the market yard warehouses.
The Collector instructed officials to be alert as IMD predicted gusty winds over the region on December 5. He said cyclone shelters have to be identified in case evacuation is needed.
Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, City Police Commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata and others took part in the meeting.
