Rain across parts of Rayalaseema over the past two days has provided limited relief after months of dry weather, while leaving already-withered crops at risk and inundating low-lying residential areas in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal and Kurnool districts.
In YSR Kadapa district, Proddatur, Mydukur, Kamalapuram, Chennur and Rayachoti received around 30 mm of rain, according to the report. Kurnool district also recorded heavy showers in Adoni and Kodumur. Low-lying areas of Adoni were inundated after the rainfall.
Nandyal town received heavy rain for nearly two hours, leaving several residential colonies waterlogged and causing inconvenience to residents in low-lying areas. The impact highlighted how short-duration heavy showers can create localised flooding even when the wider region is experiencing a prolonged dry spell.
The rainfall came too late to revive a significant share of crops that had already dried up, farmers said. C. Mallikarjuna Reddy, a farmer from Panayam mandal, said the showers could still benefit paddy cultivated under borewell irrigation, but would not restore crops that had already been lost.
“The rain has come too late to save crops that have already dried up. It may, however, be useful for farmers who have raised paddy under borewell irrigation,” Reddy said.
Farmers in the affected districts also said the showers could improve fodder availability and provide some relief to livestock. However, they said the rainfall was unlikely to create fresh cultivation opportunities because the damage caused by the dry spell had already occurred.
“The damage has already been done and there is little scope for taking up new cultivation with these rains. At best, the showers may help improve fodder availability,” said M. Jayaraju, a farmer from Khajipet mandal in Kadapa district.
The uneven consequences of the rain were visible across the region. For agricultural communities, the showers offered some potential relief for borewell-supported paddy and livestock, but did not reverse losses in crops that had withered during the dry period. In towns, the same rainfall caused waterlogging in colonies located in low-lying areas.
The rainfall also brought renewed attention to the difference between regional water availability and local drainage capacity. While farmers are seeking continued rain after the prolonged dry spell, residential areas in Adoni and Nandyal have already experienced disruption from accumulated water.
Weather officials at the Rekulakunta meteorological centre in Anantapur district said several parts of Rayalaseema were likely to receive rain over the next 36 hours. Farmers said they hoped continued rainfall would provide further relief, although the current showers were not expected to substantially change the agricultural situation.
The immediate outlook for the region therefore remains mixed: further rain could support fodder availability and some standing borewell-irrigated crops, while local authorities and residents in low-lying colonies continue to face waterlogging during heavy showers.
