Kuruvai, Samba in several thousand acres under water as heavy rain batters Delta

Tiruchy: Heavy to very heavy rains lashed the Delta region, leading to inundation across all districts, with ready-to-harvest Kuruvai crops and standing Samba crops submerging in several parts on Tuesday. The respective district administrations have been pressed into action to prevent flooding.

Owing to the onset of the northeast monsoon as predicted, the Delta regions, particularly Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam, witnessed heavy to very heavy rains from Monday late evening, continuing till Tuesday.

While Thanjavur, Ayyempettai received the maximum rainfall of 80 mm, Vettikadu received 76.6 mm, Orathanadu 63.8 mm, and Neivasal received 57.6 mm of rainfall.

The Tiruvarur town received 69 mm rainfall, Kudavasal 62 mm, Needamangalam 49.4 mm and Thiruthuraipoondi 36.8 mm rainfall. Similarly, Mayiladuthurai town received 58 mm rainfall, Sirkazhi 65.80 mm, Kollidam 46mm and Sembanarkoil 53 mm rainfall. However, Nagapattinam district experienced very heavy rainfall with 90 mm recorded in Nagapattinam town, 83 mm in Thalanayar and 50 mm of rainfall in Vedaranyam till Tuesday morning.

Incessant rainfall resulted in inundation in several districts, particularly in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Tiruvarur. The respective district administrations deputed officials to oversee the draining of water. While the Tiruvarur district Collector, V Mohanachandran, who inspected several parts, instructed the officials to ensure free flow of water in all the stormwater drains and asked the officials to clear the vegetation to ensure free flow and no obstruction in any canals.

The rainwater filled almost all the waterbodies, and the inflow in the branch rivers, like Vettar, the branch river of Cauvery, was 1,584 cusecs, and the Odambogiyar river saw 445 cusecs of inflow.

The intense showers had damaged the paddy crops in several districts. Sources said that 10,000 acres of ready-to-harvest Kuruvai and standing Samba have submerged in Thanjavur, while in Tiruvarur, 25,000 acres of Kuruvai and Samba have submerged. Similarly, 50,000 acres of paddy were damaged in Nagapattinam, while in Mayiladuthurai, 15,000 acres of paddy were submerged in the rainwater.

Dejected farmers and the residents from the region appealed to the state government to set up a state-level monitoring committee to oversee the flood prevention activities. Though the respective district administrations have initiated steps to prevent the flooding and undertaken several precautionary measures, monitoring by a state-level committee would ensure effective mitigation of flooding.