Cyclone damage: Andhra Pradesh CM urges Central team to submit report in 10 days; State puts total loss at ₹2,484 crore

El Nino conditions and two cyclones have caused extensive damage to Andhra Pradesh, says Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has appealed to the seven-member Central team to submit its assessment report on the damage caused by Cyclone Murasu within 10 days and urged the Centre to release financial assistance to the State immediately.

The Central team, led by Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Chittaranjan Das, held a virtual meeting with Mr. Naidu after completing its field inspections in Bapatla, Palnadu, Eluru and East Godavari districts. It split into two groups and inspected nearly 60 locations, assessing damage to agricultural fields, roads, drains, houses, irrigation infrastructure and fishing boats.

The team interacted with farmers at Surappagudem in Bhimadole mandal and inspected paddy fields and drainage systems at Ravulapalem. It assessed damage done to the Kommu canal, roads and irrigation facilities at Kunakalamarri, fishing boats at Chirala and houses and horticultural crops at Boppudi.

Mr. Naidu said the combination of El Nino conditions and two cyclones had caused extensive damage to the State. The government had anticipated the cyclone’s movement and initiated preventive measures, followed by relief and restoration operations on a war footing. Road connectivity, electricity and mobile networks were restored within 24 hours, he said.

He said additional ration supplies had been distributed in the affected areas, and efforts were being made to ensure that crop insurance compensation reached farmers quickly. As the coastal region was frequently facing cyclones, permanent solutions through stronger infrastructure were necessary, requiring Central assistance.

The Central team said rural roads had suffered extensive damage, particularly due to flash floods, while several electricity poles had also been damaged. It observed that many farmers had not insured commercial crops such as cotton because of high premiums. Preventive desilting of canals and streams by the State government had helped reduce the damage, it noted.

The team suggested special assistance to tribal communities, particularly Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, and higher compensation for farmers practising organic and natural farming. It recommended examining the distribution of rations three times in 30 days to affected families.

According to the State government’s assessment submitted to the team, Cyclone Murasu caused estimated losses of ₹2,484.43 crore. Roads and related infrastructure suffered damage worth ₹888.84 crore, while crop losses across 1,43,617 hectares were estimated at ₹874.97 crore, affecting 1,86,063 farmers.

Horticultural crops covering 6,756 hectares suffered losses estimated at ₹337.10 crore, affecting 12,605 farmers. The cyclone damaged 1,385 km of roads, 36 embankment sections and 65 culverts. It also affected 369 irrigation sources and caused breaches at 509 locations.

The power sector reported damage to 10,192 11-KV poles, 6,442 low-tension poles and 1,448 distribution transformers. As many as 3,859 houses, including 645 huts, were damaged. Emergency relief operations cost ₹37 crore, according to the report.

The Central team observed that Cyclone Murasu had caused greater rainfall-related damage in East Godavari than Cyclone Arnab. Paddy losses were estimated at 80% in East Godavari and up to 90% in Eluru district. Mango and papaya were among the worst-affected horticultural crops.