Hyderabad: With South West monsoon playing truant, Andhra Pradesh is reeling under worst drought in three decades resulting in massive crop losses, drinking water and power crisis even as the state government sought Rs 2,150 crore central assistance and an additional 25 lakh tonnes of rice.

As a result of continued dry spell, the earlier estimates of food grain production have gone awry with officials now projecting 50 per cent drop in the yield.

As against the original estimation of 86 lakh tonnes, the food grain production is likely to come down to 43 lakh tonnes while the enveloping power crisis, in the wake of major reservoirs going dry and growing demand-supply gap, has only compounded the farmers' woes.

"We can say the situation is grim. There is going to be a complete withdrawal of monsoon in the next one week. Since there were no rains last month, temperatures are rising," the director of state Meteorological department C V Bhadram told in Hyderabad on October 5.

As against normal rainfall of 628.5 mm by August end, the state had received only 411.8 mm while sowing could be done only to an extent of 62.53 lakh hectares as against the normal level of 81.8 lakh hectares, official sources said.

Even from this truncated acreage, hopes of recovering good yield have dimmed in the wake of severe water crisis.

Faced with an alarming situation, the state government had recently announced a slew of relief measures including release of an additional Rs 40 crores for drinking water and fodder supply and waiver of tuition fees in schools and colleges.

PTI