Untimely rain leaves farmers worried

Untimely rain that lashed several parts of the district over the past 48 hours has left farmers worried about crop loss.

In several areas, the ongoing harvest of paddy and jowar has been postponed due to rain. In areas where paddy has already been harvested and left for drying, farmers are finding it a challenge to protect the harvest from getting damp. The unseasonal rain could spoil the jowar which may not fetch them a good price, the farmers said.

Kampli in Hosapete taluk, where paddy harvest has begun, was the worst affected. In Hadagali and Hagari Bommanahalli, the ongoing harvest of jowar had to be postponed by a couple of days.

According to the Met Department, Hadagai taluk experienced the highest rainfall of 81 mm during the past 24 hours, followed by Hagari Bommanahalli (70 mm), Hospet (17 mm), Sirguppa (9 mm) and Kudligi (8 mm).

The rain left several roads waterlogged and drains overflowing. People had to wade through ankle-deep water in most places.

However, on Saturday, the clouds cleared up by noon and farmers heaved a sigh of relief as they could carry out their harvest and post-harvest activities.