Heavy rain in Delta submerges crops in thousands of acres

TIRUCHY: Crops in several thousands of acres have submerged due to the continuous rains across the Delta region on Thursday. Sources said the pre-northeast monsoon rains have been lashing the region for the past few days and almost all the districts have been receiving heavy downpour.

Due to the heavy rains, education institutions were declared holiday in districts like Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai on Thursday.

Following the release of one lakh cusecs, the flow in the Kollidam turned heavy. Banana plantations in Achanur, Maruvur and Vadugakudi, located on the banks of Kollidam, submerged and farmers fear that they would be completely damaged, if the water does not recede fast. They demanded horticulture officials to inspect the spot and assess the damages and recommend to the government for adequate compensation.

Meanwhile, at Naduvikottai near Pattukkottai, water entered into the fields and around 1,000 acres where the paddy was about to be harvested submerged. Harvested paddy stocked in 15,000 bags also got soaked in water.

Farmers complain that the officials had closed the DPCs in advance without procuring them. They claimed that they have been taking care of the paddy for the past 10 days.