Rain brings relief to delta farmers

Several parts of the Cauvery delta region continued to receive light to moderate rain for the second consecutive day on Thursday.

The onset of the northeast monsoon brought a sigh of relief to farmers in the delta as they had been yearning for a couple of spells of rain to help the standing samba/thaladi crops, especially in the Cauvery tail-end areas of Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Tiruvarur districts.

Light rainfall continued in many parts of Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai district on Thursday. Parts of Tiruvarur district, including Tiruvarur, Nannilam, and Thiruthuraipoondi, received light to moderate showers during the day.

Thogamalai in Karur district and Thiruvengadu in Mayiladuthurai recorded the maximum rainfall of 11 cm each while Nagapattinam and Tharangambadi recorded 9 cm each during the 24 hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Thursday.

“The rain has come as a relief as it had saved the fields from drying up completely. But we need more rainfall in the coming days to sustain the crop,” said Cauvery Dhanapalan, president, Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Sangankalin Kootu Iyakkam.