12 killed in rain-related incidents in AP; crops submerged

Twelve people were killed and crops in about 60,000 hectares submerged due to heavy rains lashing Andhra Pradesh for about a week now.
The Government has announced compensation of about Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased as per applicable norms, officials said.
They said 53 relief camps, providing shelter to 8,361 people, remained open.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the situation with Ministers N Raghuveera Reddy, A Ramanarayana Reddy, Chief Secretary P K Mohanty and other officials here.
He directed the officials to start relief camps wherever necessary and continue air-dropping of food packets, supply of drinking water and medicines among other measures, the officials said.

A dozen persons died in rain-related incidents in different parts of the state, they said, adding the worst affected districts include Khammam, East and West Godavari, Karimnagar, Warangal and Nizamabad.

Two helicopters have reached Bhadrachalam in Khammam district for relief operations and other chopper to East Godavari district.
In addition to seven teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), an additional team is being sent to rain-affected West Godavari district, they said.
Standing cotton, soyabean, maize, paddy and pulses crops in as many as 59,878 hectares have been submerged and about 240 minor irrigation water tanks have suffered damage.
Power supply has been restored to 480 villages out of 884 affected villages.

As per the Met department, heavy to very heavy rain would occur at isolated places in coastal Andhra and some Telangana districts during the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, in Rajahmundry, East Godavari Collector Neetu Kumari Prasad said 4,035 people were shifted to 23 relief camps in the district.
"So far 4,035 people have been shifted to 23 relief camps in the district. Around 17,100 food packets and 29,902 water and milk packets have been supplied people living in these camps," she added.