Delta region rains: Farmers happy while normal life gets hit; schoolboy dies in house collapse at Nagapattinam

MADURAI: The mild to heavy rains across the Delta region hampered normal life, but the farmers claimed that the rain was beneficial for the standing samba crops.

Meanwhile, the downpour triggered several house collapse incidents in the region in which a schoolboy succumbed to injuries on Thursday.

As predicted, the northeast monsoon rains commenced on Wednesday evening and continued throughout Thursday.

Though districts like Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Perambalur and Ariyalur received moderate rainfall, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam received heavy rainfall on Thursday.

The average rainfall in Tiruchy was 17.49 mm till 6 am and it was reduced to 15.18 mm by 6 pm. Despite a mild shower, it picked up in the evening and several places were inundated.

While Thanjavur district received an average rainfall of 17.45 mm but there were damages reported in the district. For instance, a wall of a house collapsed in Tiruvaiyaru and a 50-year-old tree was uprooted in Kumbakonam.

The farmers from Thanjavur said that the rainfall was mild but steady and it would be beneficial for the standing samba crops as the water might not stagnate in the fields.

Meanwhile, Nagapattinam district received heavy rainfall and the house at Sembianmahadevi owned by Murugadas collapsed on Wednesday late hours. Neighbours rescued the family members who were trapped in the debris.

However, Murugadas’ son Kaviyazhagan, a Class 9 boy who sustained severe injuries died on his way to the hospital.

In the meantime, the Mayiladuthurai district received heavy rainfall all through the day and the people from the low-lying areas were evacuated for precaution. An average of 51.48 mm of rainfall was witnessed in the district.

Similarly, heavy rainfall was witnessed in Tiruvarur and the normalcy was affected in the entire district.

Normal life affected in southern districts

Meanwhile, Madurai and several parts of other southern districts experienced light to moderate rain showers since the early hours of Thursday.

Normal life was disrupted as the rain forced many people including office goers indoors. Several people endured intermittent rains throughout the day. However, despite the rains, students got access to schools in Madurai.

With the monsoon rain, many paddy farmers had completed crop sowing and this timely rainfall in recent days would help in raising the crops. But at the same time, any further heavy rainfall would affect the crop. Moreover, bright and sunny weather is necessary for paddy cultivation, but over recent days there is no sunlight, T. Perumal, national vice president, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), Vadipatti, Madurai, said.

Much of Kodaikanal, a popular hill station in Dindigul district has been experiencing unusually cold weather. In Virudhunagar district, devotees were restricted from entering Sathuragiri Hills as a precautionary measure.

Fishermen got away from their daily routine at sea following rough weather in the coastal areas of Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram. Though Courtallam waterfalls did not witness intense rain, tourists have been denied access for safety reasons.