Farmers upset as over 200 acres of paddy crop ready for harvest under rainwater in Theni district

Heavy rainfall in Theni district floods paddy fields, threatening harvest; Vaigai dam storage levels rise, benefiting farmers.

At least 200 acres of paddy crop ready for harvest is under water and farmers are upset due to downpour in Theni district in the last 24 hours here on Tuesday.

The worst-hit areas, according to the farmers, are Periyakulam, Tamaraikulam, Jayamangalam and Melmangalam pockets. Harvest was under way in the belt for the last 10 days and even as the work was under way, the downpour in the last two to three days had spoilt the produce.

In many fields, complaints of waterlogging were widely reported and the farmers felt that in the event of continued waterlogging, the paddy may be completely destroyed. “The four-hour rain on Monday evening sealed the fate and there seems to be no way we can recoup from the loss...” the farmers’ said.

While on the one hand, the farmers were disappointed due to the rainfall at the fag-end of the harvest, the storage level in the Sothuparai dam increased steeply that within about eight hours, the dam received its maximum level on Tuesday.

Only on Monday, the storage level stood at 115.78 feet and by the night, the dam touched the maximum level of 126.28 ft. The inflow was 226 cusecs and according to the PWD (WRD wing) officials, the entire 226 cusecs was being discharged.

All the residents along the Periyakulam, Vadugapatti and other pockets have been told not to venture into the river as the continuous rainfall in the belt may lead to rise in water level in the waterbodies, officials said.

The catchment areas of Vaigai dam, which too received heavy rainfall, led to storage level touching the 60 feet mark, which has come as a boon to the farmers in the five southern districts of Tamil Nadu.