PERAMBALUR: Close to 80 acres of cotton and maize cultivation have been hit at Keezha Perambalur at Veppur union in the district as rainwater seeped into the agricultural fields over the past few days, farmers said. They attributed the damage to water breaching from a stream in the village, Nariyodai, into nearby fields. The stream is fed by a lake in Agaram Seegur.
It is said that the stream, which used to 30 metres wide and extending to around six km, shrunk to three metres due to various factors. However, due to poor maintenance and the invasion of Seemai Karuvelam trees, the lake shrunk considerably over the last three years, sources said. As a result, they added, it overflows during rains, inundating the fields.
Residents, in this regard, had submitted a petition to the Panchayat and Veppur union office demanding restoration work. However, no action has been taken so far. Light rains were recorded in many parts of the district over the past few days.
On Wednesday evening, heavy rains lashed Keezha Perambalur, leading to the inundation of the fields and damaging cotton and maize crops. P Ponnusamy, a farmer from Keezha Perambalur, said, "Last week, I planted cotton crop over four acres.
However, with the stream overflowing, rainwater inundated the fields, resulting in crop damage. Nearly 3.5 acres of cotton crop have come under water. I had spent around `20,000 per acre for fertilisers, seeds and ploughing. Unfortunately, I have incurred loss now. It will be difficult to grow crops now as replanting is strenuous.
The authorities should hence inspect the affected lands and provide appropriate compensation." Jayaraman Ananthi, an activist, said, "The stream is now only only three metres wide. On Wednesday, it only rained for three hours. Yet, the lake overflowed.
The fields of many farmers have been submerged and they have incurred loss. All the fields here will be damaged during the monsoon. The authorities should deepen and strengthen the stream." An official from the rural development department in Veppur said, "We were not aware of the issue. We will check and take action."