The Chittoor district administration on December 3 (Sunday) evening set up a control room with helpline numbers 9491077018 and 9885738918, in view of the heavy rain forecast under the influence Cyclone Michaung.
Revenue officials said that all the staff of the village and ward secretariats in the district had been put on alert and instructed to contact the nodal officers of their respective mandals in case of any emergency. Meteorology officials have forecast heavy rainfall in the eastern mandals of Karveti Nagaram, Nagari, Nindra, Vijayapuram and Sri Rangaraja Puram in the coming 48 hours.
On Sunday (December 3), Karveti Nagaram mandal received 95 mm rainfall, followed by Nagari (94.2 mm), Nindra (86.6 mm), and SR Puram (85 mm). Thirty of the total 31 mandals in the district recorded rain, while the tail-end Kuppam manal received zero precipitation.
The farmers have been cautioned to protect their harvested paddy in the fields by covering them with tarpaulin sheets or moving them to safer places. To protect the crops from submergence, the farmers have been asked to clear blockages and ensure free flow of rain water. Surveillance has been stepped up at the causeways on the roads between Chittoor-Puttur, Nagari-Pallipattu, Karveti Nagaram-Vedurukuppam, and along the rural roads.
Meanwhile, Annamayya Collector P.S. Girisha declared a holiday for educational institutions in the district on December 4 (Monday). In a release, the Collector cautioned that the mandals of Railway Kodur and Rajampeta were likely to receive heavy rainfall.
