NAGAPATTINAM: IN the past two days, a total of three farmers from Keezhvelur, Neermoolai and Sirkazhi – of which two are women – died due to cardiac arrest after allegedly being depressed over failure of samba crop cultivation at their fields.
On Sunday, Dhanusammaal (67), of Irukkai Colony, fainted en route her three acre land where samba crops cultivated with direct sowing method have wilted.
She was rushed to Thevoor Primary Health Centre where doctors declared her brought dead. According to sources, after her husband Veerasamy passed away a few years ago, Dhanusammaal undertook the farming by availing crop loans from Rathamangalam Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society.
In a similar incident at Neermulai near Thalaignayiru, Jegathambal (65), wife of late Pachamuthu died at her home due to cardiac arrest after returning from her five acre farm on Saturday evening.
According to the relatives of the farmers, farming is the only source of income for them and the deceased were visibly in anguished state during the recent days as the northeast monsoon failed and Cauvery waters were not available for cultivation.
On Sunday morning, farmer R Natarajan (62) of Azhagiyanatham village near Sirkazhi has swooned at his farmland after the water-pump installed in the field failed to fetch up enough groundwater to irrigate his samba crops. Natarajan reportedly died on the way, while he was rushed to the hospital.