Rain affects paddy harvest in delta districts in Tamil Nadu

TRICHY/MADURAI: The depression over Bay of Bengal brought moderate to heavy rain in delta districts including Trichy and the southern districts since early morning on Thursday. Pamban and Tuticorin ports replaced their cyclone warning flags from No 1 to 3. Signal No 3 indicates the port could be affected by adverse weather while signal no 1 indicates adverse weather in distant seas.

Districts collectors declared a holiday for schools in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Tiruvarur.

India Meteorological Department said the depression over south Sri Lanka moved southwestwards with a speed of 18 kmph and lay centred at 11.30 am about 140 km southwest of Batticaloa, 80 km north-northwest of Hambantota. It is very likely to continue to move southwestwards across south Sri Lanka and weaken gradually and emerge into Comorin and adjoining Gulf of Mannar as a well-marked low pressure area by Friday. Light to moderate rain is likely at many places over south Tamil Nadu and at a few places over north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal. Heavy rain at isolated places has been forecast over Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi on Friday. IMD recorded 21 mm rainfall in Thondi, 8 mm rainfall in Madurai city and 7 mm in Madurai airport. Madurai city witnessed intermittent drizzles starting from the morning.

Though the rain will be a boon to farmers who expect water for their standing samba paddy crops, it has also deterred the ongoing paddy harvest in the delta region. Officials said harvest has been completed on about 2.5 lakh acres out of the 12.11 lakh acres on which samba and thaladi paddy crops have been raised in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam and Trichy. Farmers were busy selling their produce at direct procurement centres when rain started to lash from Wednesday night . "The rain has lodged (causing to lean) crops on thousands of acres forcing farmers to stop harvest. If the rain continues, we will incur a loss," K Dharmaraj, a farmer in Trichy said.

M Murugesan, joint director of agriculture, Trichy, told TOI that harvest is complete in 25% of area and the process is at its peak in other areas. The rain also stalled the procurement at DPCs across delta districts, farmers said.