THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hundreds of plantains and vegetables such as spinach ready for harvesting in Kalliyoor panchayat have been submerged as Vellayani lake breached its banks in the heavy rain following the low-pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea. The fields, especially in Pandarakkari and adjacent farms, have been flooded and the farmers are still counting the losses.
“For planting vegetables and banana saplings in about six acres of land, we had taken a loan of Rs 10 lakh which we haven’t been able to repay yet. As water entered from the lake in the recent rain, the whole farm was submerged. For farming, we had even bought a vehicle on loan. We haven’t been able to pay back that loan too,” said Vijayan R, farmer at Nedinjal, who has been farming for the past 15 years.
“This is the fourth time that our crops are getting damaged due to flooding in the region. Previously, we had planted about 500 plantains but those were damaged in the heavy rain. Apart from plantains, vegetables such as spinach, which were ready for harvesting, were completely damaged,” he said.
Vijayan also highlighted that despite the repeated crop losses in heavy rain and flooding, the authorities concerned haven’t taken any action to mitigate the yearly occurrence. “We have incurred a loss of more than `30 lakh so far due to repeated flooding in the region. However, we haven’t got any compensation from the agriculture department.” This is the situation of the farmers who had cultivated various crops in about 200 acres of land in Vellayani region too. Sadasivan C, who had planted about 500 plantains by taking a loan of Rs 2 lakh, is devastated after the flood.
“Though the rain was less in the district compared to other districts, it was enough to flood the area. Though there is a bund, it is of the same height as the paddy fields on its other side. So, when water from the lake enters the paddy fields on the higher plain, it flows over the bund to the fields below. The steps taken by the irrigation department to prevent flooding have failed. My paddy cultivation in 75 cents was completely destroyed,” said Vivekanandan, who also works at a pump house near the lake.
Pandarakkari and adjacent Mangalakkari farms, which were submerged, were recently visited by agriculture department officials to assess the losses. “Paddy, tapioca and other crops are cultivated in this area. If the rain continues for three days, the area gets totally submerged in water. This has been happening for decades. An estimated loss of Rs 50 lakh has occurred in the recent rain,” said Swapna C, agriculture officer, Krishi Bhavan, Kalliyoor panchayat. She said, the department has given compensations to the farmers without any backlog. “A permanent solution has to be found by the minor irrigation department since we are facing climate change,” she added.
“Crops in about 50 hectares in the region have been damaged and a loss of over `1 crore has been incurred in Kalliyoor panchayat. The old sluices of the bund were damaged earlier, which probably caused flooding. The bund road needs to be raised to avoid flooding during heavy rain. We have already pointed it out to the minor irrigation officials who have assured us that steps will be taken immediately,” said Baiju S Simon, deputy director, Department of Agriculture.
Submerged
The fields, especially in Pandarakkari and adjacent farms, have been flooded and the farmers are still counting the losses. Crops in about 50 hectares in the region have been damaged and a loss of over D1 crore has been incurred in Kalliyoor panchayat. Farmers have been struggling due to four consecutive floods in the region and the losses are mouning. The agriculture department officials recently visited the area to assess the damages
