Breaking News: Cyclone Montha Impact on Agriculture : #ndtv | #timesofindia | #moneycontrol | #cnbctv18

Severe cyclonic storm Montha made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada on the evening of October 28, 2025, bringing devastating agricultural losses. The India Meteorological Department confirmed sustained wind speeds of 90-100 km/hour, gusting up to 110 km/hour.

Agricultural Damage Assessment:

The impact has been catastrophic for standing crops across Andhra Pradesh:

  • 38,000 hectares of standing paddy and other field crops destroyed

  • 1.38 lakh hectares (138,000 hectares) of horticultural crops damaged, including banana plantations in Konaseema district

  • Total crop area affected: 1.76 lakh hectares across Andhra Pradesh

The cyclone destroyed banana cultivation in Konaseema district, uprooted trees and electric poles, and caused severe coastal erosion in Podampeta village, damaging homes and properties. One elderly woman died when a tree collapsed on her house in Konaseema district, with additional injuries reported from falling coconut trees.

State-Level Emergency Response:

Andhra Pradesh authorities evacuated 76,000 people to safety, established 219 medical camps, and deployed 1,447 earthmovers, 321 drones, and 1,040 chainsaws for clearing operations. Additionally, 122 trains were cancelled, 29 rescheduled, and 8 diverted across the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada sections.

Expanding Regional Impact:

Cyclone Montha's remnants continued inland after landfall, affecting:

  • Odisha: Over 11,000 people moved to 2,048 cyclone shelters; landslides and flooding triggered in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam districts with extremely heavy rainfall (exceeding 20 cm) in red alert zones

  • Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal, Jharkhand: Heavy rainfall warnings issued; IMD predicted further weakening into a deep depression moving northwestwards

The cyclone is forecast to maintain cyclonic storm intensity for six hours after landfall over interior Andhra Pradesh before weakening.

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