THANJAVUR: Moderate and widespread unseasonal rain continued to wet several areas of the delta districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam on Sunday hampering samba paddy cultivation. Rough seas off the Tranquebar coast thwarted seafarers who preferred to remain on shore.
Harvest-ready samba paddy crops in thousands of acres in the three districts that were raised using pump sets for irrigation have been badly affected. When farmers were trying to salvage something out of the pump set irrigated crops after losing wholly the directly sown paddy crops, the rain has virtually put paid to their hopes. In the Mayiladuthurai-Sirkali regions of Nagapattinam district, harvest machines could not get into the fields as the wet outfield and flattened crops hindered their free operations, said farmers.
Fishermen in the coastal villages of Tranquebar region in Nagapattinam district preferred to keep off the seas as high rising waves lashed the coasts that were wetted by the rains as well. More than 8,000 fishermen in Tranquebar, Chandrapadi, Kuttyandiyur, Chinnoor Pettai and other hamlets in the region did not venture into the sea due to inclement weather conditions.
Roads and low lying areas sported water sheets in Nagapattinam district where the rains have been widespread while parts of Nagapattinam and Vedranyam have been spared from getting drenched this past two days.
In Tiruvarur district, intermittent rain has been recorded during the past five days. While those who are going in for pulses cultivation feel that the rain will be good for the germination of the seeds and growth of the crops, those who are ready to harvest their samba paddy feel threatened by the rain.
In Thanjavur district, several farmers in Kumbakonam, Tiruvidaimarudur and Papanasam areas had to pump out rain water from their flooded samba and thalady paddy fields for the fear of losing their fully grown crops following intermittent rains over the past week.
In Ayyampettai area, farmers rued that they had during the cultivation stage use pump sets for irrigating their paddy fields while the rains have forced them to use the same pump sets for draining the flooded fields now. Tourists and pilgrims are finding it difficult to enter and go round the internationally famed Sri Airavatheswarar temple at Darasuram near Kumbakonam as the temple is almost marooned in rain water.
A couple Selvakumar (45) and Kavitha alias Saritha (33) of Naducauvery village in Thanjavur district were injured when the ceiling of their house collapsed in rain on Saturday night. They are being treated at the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
The chief amount of rainfall (in mm) recorded in various centres in the three districts in the 24 hours ending 8-30 a.m. on Sundayare as follows: Manalmedu 37, Mayiladuthurai 21, Tranquebar 13, Sirkali 12, Kodavasal 11.4, Budalur 8.2, Valangaiman 5.2, Nannilam 4.2, Kumbakonam 3, Thanjavur and Grand Anicut 2.2 each.
