Delta Farmers worried as rainwater fails to recede

TIRUCHY: The rainwater has failed to recede in many places, including paddy fields, across the Delta region, and the farmers have appealed to the respective district administrations to initiate immediate steps to drain out the water. At the same time, an irrigation canal has also breached in Thanjavur, and the water has inundated many fields on Tuesday.

As the northeast monsoon rains lashed across the Cauvery Delta districts, particularly in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai, where samba and thalady have been cultivated on more than 10 lakh acres of land, the rainwater has submerged the standing crops across all the districts since Monday.

The farmers were taking measures to drain out the water from their respective fields, but there was no sign of the water receding even after two straight days.

“Out of the 10 lakh acres of samba and thalady cultivation, more than 50 per cent of them were submerged in rainwater since Monday. Since the rains are predicted to lash for more days, the fate of the standing crops would be in danger,” PR Pandian, President, Coordination Committee of All Farmers Association, said.

Pandian claimed that vegetation had grown in several places, particularly at Ponnukkumundanaru, Chaluvanaru and Valavanaru, which are the major storm water drains in Tiruvarur, and so the water failed to recede from the paddy fields, he said.

"As the water failed to recede, the crops are feared to rot in due course of time, and so the government should depute ministers and officials to inspect the spots across the region and initiate steps to drain out water on a war footing manner,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Thanjavur, the Vedapuri canal, one of the major canals in the district, had breaches in around 10 spots, and the water rushed into the paddy fields, submerging the standing samba and thaladi crops. Since the rainwater from Vallam would drain into the Vedapuri canal and would flow along Thekkur, Panchanadhikottai, Azhivaical, Natham, Thennamanadu, Pinnaiyur, Cholankudikadu and Pappanadu, it can help in draining excess water.

The breaches in the canals have resulted in inundation of several thousand acres of land in Thanjavur, and the farmers have staged a protest for the second day to assess crop damage and demand compensation.