TIRUCHY: Moderate to heavy rains lashed Nagapattinam district on Friday hindering the ongoing samba harvest.

As per the IMD prediction of heavy rainfall in , coastal pockets, Nagapattinam district received moderate to heavy rains on Friday morning.

According to sources, places like Nagapattinam, Nagore, Sikkal, Thittacherry, Tirumarugal, Velankanni, Poovaithedi, Kameshwaram, Vairavankadu, Manalmedu, Paravai and Tirupoondi received heavy rains. As a result, many lowlying areas were inundated. Farmers said that vast swathes of farmlands went under water in many places across the district.

They said the district had been witnessing dry weather coupled with foggy conditions in the morning for the past few days. But on Friday the condition changed, and the widespread heavy rains caused in water-logging in many areas. Also, residents had to stay indoors till afternoon.

Meanwhile, farmers also claimed that several acres of samba crops were submerged in many parts of the district. Crops unable to withstand the heavy rains had fallen in several villages. The samba harvest in these areas was about to start in a week but the rains have played havoc, said the farmers.