Rains continue in Tamil Nadu, standing crops hit in Cauvery delta areas

Chennai: Rains continued on Wednesday in Tamil Nadu's Cauvery delta areas affecting standing paddy crops, and leader of the opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami urged the state government to provide appropriate relief to farmers.

Crops were submerged partially and completely at several places, including those in and around Tiruvarur, Thiruthuraipoondi, Muthupettai, Mayiladuthurai, and Vedaranyam, and according to farmers' rough estimates, crops on at least 2,000 acres were affected.

Also, huge acreage of salt pans in the districts of Nagapattinam (Vedaranyam) and Villupuram (Marakkanman) came under water.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami expressed shock over reports that 1,500 acres of paddy crop have been affected in Thiruthuraipoondi (Tiruvarur district) and demanded that officials inspect rain-hit areas and urged the DMK regime to provide appropriate relief to farmers.

Farmers leader P R Pandian alleged that canals and rivers were not properly desilted in the delta areas.

Minister T R B Rajaa inspected relief camps at Thiruthuraipoondi and also the submerged crops in that region. District officials inspected the affected localities and senior state officials coordinated rain-related relief work.

Rain-related incidents, including the collapse of an old house at Tarangampadi and the wall of a Dharga's tank at Jambuvanodai in Tiruvarur district have been reported. Trees were uprooted and some fell on nearby electricity poles causing power failure and many localities were inundated.

According to an IMD's rainfall update, very heavy rainfall was recorded in several areas, including Nagapattinam (19 cm) and Chennai (13 cm), from 8.30 am on November 26 until 8.30 am the following day.

Also, there was widespread heavy rainfall, including in the delta areas, and the rest of the state experienced mild to moderate showers. NDRF and state teams have been deployed in delta districts and Chennai as well.

Given the rains, November 27 has been declared a holiday for schools and colleges, including Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai districts. A holiday has been declared only for schools in Chennai, Chengelpet, Ariyalur, and Kanchipuram.

According to the IMD's bulletin, the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is about 370 km southeast of Nagapattinam and 550 km south-southeast of Chennai.

The deep depression is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm on November 27 and heavy to very heavy rain at a few places and extremely heavy rain at one or two places is likely in Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai districts.

Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Pudukkottai districts.