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Rain poses threat to standing crop in Cuddalore and Villupuram

CUDDALORE: The recent spell of rain has posed a threat to standing crop, particularly paddy and cotton, on about 15,000 hectares in Cuddalore and Villupuram districts. As of now they remain submerged and any more rain will imperil their survival.

Official sources told The Hindu that as per the present assessment, paddy crop on 8,000 ha in Chidambaram, Kattumannarkoil and Kurinjipadi blocks had been inundated. However, with respite in rain for the whole of Friday, the level of stagnating water in these farms had subsided greatly.

The paddy crop in this region were about 35 days old. But, if the rain persisted, their prospects would be jeopardised. At present paddy had been planted on 45,000 ha in Cuddalore district. The sources said the officials of the Agriculture Department were assessing the crop situation in every village in the region and, based on their inputs, the district administration would initiate necessary action.

In Villupuram district, cotton was sown on about 7,000 ha in Kallakurichi, Sankarapuram, Ulundurpet and Vanur blocks. The crop was in the flowering stage and hence, any excess rainfall would gravely affect their yield potential.

Cotton farmers had sown Bt. cotton on about 5,000 ha. In the remaining area hybrid cottonseed farms had been raised. The adverse weather condition would badly affect seed farmers and, to a lesser extent, cotton growers.

Cotton growers were getting an average yield of 12-15 quintals an acre and were facing imminent threat of crop damage.

The sources further said it was the harvesting season for groundnut crop. However, the rain had hampered harvesting, and hence, thousands of farm hands were rendered idle. The three major water sources in Villupuram district -- Gomukhi dam, Veedur dam and Manimuktha dam -- were filling up, and officials were keeping a vigil on the inflow.

Because of the rising level in the Uppanar at Erikkaran Thottam in the Cuddalore Port area, a housing colony of tsunami-affected persons remained water logged.

A section of Veeranam ayacutdars have appealed to the Government to supply them fertilizer to supplement soil nutrients washed away in the rain and support jobless farm labourers.

Health Minister M.R.K. Panneer Selvam on Friday inspected the causeway at Karuveppilankurichi that was breached in the recent floods. A portion of the causeway caved in, necessitating diversion of vehicular traffic from Vriddhachalam to Kumbakonam.

The causeway was built across the Vellar as a temporary arrangement to carry traffic until the high-level bridge connecting Karuveppilankurichi to Murugankudi, under construction, is completed.

The Minister told the reporters that the new bridge, being built at an estimated cost of Rs. 9 crore, would be thrown open for traffic by November 2008.

He further said until the flood situation eased, only vehicles of less than 10-tonne weight would be allowed on the causeway and the heavy vehicles had to take a diversion.

A bridge near the M.R.K.Cooperative Sugarmills at Sethiathope suffered damage and officials had been instructed to take speedy measures to stabilise the structure.

The body of A.Chakravarthi (35), who was washed away in the flashfloods in the Jayamkondam canal on October 24, was fished out on Friday.

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