Heavy rains damaged crops on 400 acres in Karur district

Paddy crops on nearly 400 acres in Kattalai and Ranganathapuram areas of Karur district have been damaged after continuous heavy rain inundated agricultural fields, farmers said.

Heavy rain has been lashing the district, submerging paddy crops in and around Kattalai and Ranganathapuram in Krishnarayapuram block. With stagnant water showing no signs of receding, farmers are worried about whether they can save their crops.

Karur District Collector C.Muthukumaran inspected desilting work on the Puliyur branch canal at Kalipalayam in Puliyur town panchayat. He also visited Kattalai in Krishnarayapuram block, where agricultural fields had been inundated by rainwater.

Farmers said continuous rain had inundated paddy crops on 300 to 400 acres. Fresh transplantation had also been taken up on another 50 to 100 acres, involving an initial investment of around ₹20,000 an acre.

If water continued to stagnate in the fields, the crops would rot, leaving farmers at risk of losing their entire investment, they said.

Even a single rain-free day would allow farmers to drain the water from the fields and save the seedlings to some extent. However, the absence of proper drainage channels had aggravated the damage.

Farmers said the same problem recurred every monsoon. They urged officials to inspect the affected fields, assess the extent of crop damage and conduct a proper survey. They also sought the restoration of drainage facilities and steps to drain the excess rainwater from agricultural lands.

Unless immediate measures were taken, the ensuing samba cultivation season could also be affected. Farmers pointed out that maize harvests had suffered earlier due to intense heat and that paddy crops were now being damaged by rain.

They appealed to the authorities to take urgent measures on a war footing to address the problem.

The rainfall recorded at various locations in Karur district (in mm) was as follows: Karur 7.60, Aravakurichi 50.50, Anaipalayam 62, Paramathi 37.40, Kulithalai 12.20, Thogamalai 19, Krishnarayapuram 6.50, Mayanur 11, Panchapatti 10, Kadavur 82, Palaviduthi 80 and Mayilampatti 77.

The district received a total rainfall of 455.20 mm, with the average rainfall standing at 37.93 mm. Kadavur recorded the highest rainfall at 82 mm, followed by Palaviduthi at 80 mm.

The Collector instructed officials to remove vegetation obstructing the Kattalai Mathikattan canal and ensure that excess water accumulated in the irrigation channel was drained quickly.