KARAIKAL: Continuous rainfall in Karaikal has left almost all of 4,500 hectares of Samba and Thaladi crop cultivation area in the district submerged, affecting cultivation across multiple areas, said an official source. Farmers reported that water entered their fields in low-lying regions and locations where drainage flow was blocked, resulting in large sections of standing crops being inundated.
Karaikal has about 4,500 hectares under samba cultivation. The 120-day crop has been planted in different phases, and an official from the agricultural department said the early-sown samba remained unaffected. However, farmers who sowed later or cultivated in lower terrains reported water stagnation in their fields.
They said that sustained rainfall caused water-logging in areas surrounding Nedungadu and Thirunallar, with several acres submerged since Friday. D N Suresh, president of the Kadaimadai Farmers’ Association, said 80-day-old samba crops in several locations were inundated.
“Any measures that may be given from agriculture research institutions would not be effective if the crop remained underwater for prolonged periods. Farmers had borrowed money for cultivation, and the losses could push them into distress,” he said.
Farmers said strong sea conditions prevented river water from draining smoothly into the sea, causing backflow into agricultural fields. They said that drainage from heavily flooded fields could take up to a week, during which the standing crops risk rotting.
Farmers urged the Puducherry government to conduct a field-level assessment of crop damage and initiate compensation measures. A senior official from the Agricultural Department said, “Crop damage assessment will be conducted at the earliest once the rainfall stops.”