THOOTHUKUDI: As many as 20,000 salt pan workers' jobs have been affected following a significant drop in the mercury levels, bringing a spell of light showers to parts of the Thoothukudi district over the past few days.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), as of 8:00 am on Friday, Thoothukudi recorded a very minimal rainfall of 0.32 mm with light rains in the Thoothukudi, Sathankulam, Kayathar and Ottapidaram areas. The showers, accompanied by dark clouds, affected the salt pans from exposure to the sun, thus halting production along the coastal regions. Nearly 20,000 salt pan workers, with the majority being women, have lost their jobs.
J Sam Daniel, a salt pan owner, said that the salt production has reduced as dark clouds hover over the region for the past couple of days. Hence, the combining of pan surface and collection of crystal salt cannot be done. Thoothukudi Thanpadu Uppu Vetrumathi Viyabarigal Sangam president MSP Thenraj told TNIE that the situation has prevented salt pans from yielding salt. Since the salt production has dipped, the selling prices of the stocks have increased to Rs 1800 and Rs 2000 per tonne. This may come down when the production increases, Thenraj added.