Rains spoil paddy in over 600 acres

TIRUCHY: Over 600 acres summer crops ready for harvest were damaged after rain coupled with heavy winds lashed many rural parts of Thanjavur on wee hours of Tuesday.

Thanjavur district received widespread rainfall from late on Monday, which lasted till early hours of Tuesday. Since there was a heavy wind in addition to the rainfall, power supply was suspended in the district for a few hours as precaution. While Boothalur received the maximum of 102.60 mm rainfall, places like Kasavalanadu Pudur, Kandithampattu, Soorakkottai, Pudupattinam and Panchanadhikottai areas received heavy rainfall along with the strong winds.

In the impact, most of the ready to harvest summer crops destroyed and plantain plantations were uprooted in these areas.

“There was no proper desilt work in the canals. The rainwater enters the field and stagnates due to improper drains. We have been demanding for the proper desilt of these canals for the past 10 years, but there is no response from the officials,” said Mohan, a farmer from Kandithampattu whose field had witnessed inundation.

Mohan said that they had spent a minimum of Rs 30,000 per acre and the entire crop had been destroyed and so they have to face a heavy loss. He urged the officials to take damage assessment and recommend proper compensation.

Meanwhile, plantain plantations in Tiruvaiyaru, Kaduveli, Achanur, Panaiyur and Vaithiyanathan Pettai, which were ready for harvest in the next 40 days, were uprooted due to the strong winds. The banana farmers demanded compensation on par with the paddy farmers.

A senior Agriculture Department official said that they have been monitoring the situation and added, “If water recedes within one or two days, the paddy will not get damaged. The officials are on the field in the affected areas.”