Amaravati, Nov 27 (PTI): Heavy rainfall over the last two days dumped by cyclone Nivar dealt a blow to farmers in Andhra Pradesh as agricultural and horticultural crops in over 30,000 hectares were damaged, officials said.

The toll in rain-related incidents climbed to three on Friday while more than 10,000 people were lodged in relief camps primarily in SPS Nellore and Chittoor districts, that bore the brunt of the nature's fury, they said.

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Swarnamukhi, Bhima and Penna rivers were in spate while all medium and minor reservoirs filled to the brim and overflowed, cutting off road communication at many places.

Roads in over 180 km were damaged due to the floods while tanks breached at some places, inundating villages and farms.

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The national and state disaster response forces and police personnel braved several odds and rescued tens of people from marooned villages, overflowing rivulets and streams, thereby preventing loss of lives, officials said.

The state Cabinet, at its meeting here on Friday, reviewed the situation and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced an assistance of Rs 500 each to those sheltered in relief camps.

He will undertake an aerial survey in the rain-battered coastal and Rayalaseema districts on Saturday and hold a review meeting with Collectors of SPS Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa districts in Tirupati.

Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that enumeration of the crop losses would be completed by December 15 and compensation distributed to the affected farmers by December 31.

Fresh seeds would be supplied to farmers in affected districts at 80 per cent subsidy, he said.

SPS Nellore, Prakasam and the four Rayalaseema districts of Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapuramu received 288.8 mm of rainfall between November 23 and 26, which was 188 per cent more than normal.

Referring to official reports, the minister said 664 houses were submerged and another 673 damaged in the rains.

As per preliminary reports, paddy suffered the highest damage in 16,290 hectares, blackgram in 7,362 ha and cotton in 3,571 ha. Horticultural crops in 1,371 hectares were also hit.

Meanwhile, the body of a farmer, washed away in the swirling flood in Mallemadugu reservoir in Chittoor district on Thursday, was traced on Friday.

Another person was washed away in an overflowing stream in Chittoor district on Friday, police said.

Police, however, rescued a family of seven that was trapped in a farm hut in Yerpedu mandal, with the Pincha rivulet surging.

Police and NDRF personnel arranged a speedboat and also created a ropeway to evacuate the farm workers family to safety, Chittoor district Superintendent of Police Senthil Kumar said.

The state government announced that ex-gratia would be paid to the kin of the deceased as per norms.

In Kadapa district, a car that was on its way to Mantralayam from Kanchi, lost control and skidded into a pond and overturned.

A police team from Ontimitta rushed to the spot and saved the three passengers by pulling out the car.

Director General of Police D G Sawang commended the efforts of the police personnel in the rain-battered districts over their rescue and relief efforts.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)