NILGIRIS: Farmers in and around Avalanche in the Nilgiris district are in despair as their fields have been submerged following the heavy rain here for over a month.
The farmers whom the TNIE spoke to pointed out that they had experienced such rain in the southwest monsoon after a gap of five years and also had not experienced such heavy wind as seen last week.
“I sowed carrot seeds a month ago and the seedlings had started to sprout. However, the rain inundated my two acres of field and due to incessant rain for close to a month, my carrot field has become slushy. I can’t walk in the field as my legs sink into the soil. We expected a harvest in October. I lost more than Rs 2 lakh after sowing seeds, paying workers etc,” said C Narayanan of Gandhi Kandi Village in Avalanche.
“Not only my field, hundreds of acres in which carrots, garlic and potatoes are being cultivated across Avalanche have been submerged in the rain,” he said.
Out of two-and-a-half acres owned by L Nehru of Lawrence in Avalanche one acre of carrot field has been submerged in the rain.
“We were expecting a good yield in the next 20 days. However, we lost more than three lakhs by investing in carrot farming. We have no other option and have to continue the same cultivation once the rain subsides. Moreover, we will get meagre insurance for our crops. After rain now heavy wind poses a risk to us,” he said
The rainfall data show over 2,000 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in July (till 28), 692 mm in June and 218 in May. The average rainfall in the Nilgiris district in July last year was 394.67 mm and this year in July (till 28) it was 435.06 mm.
However, a senior official of the Horticulture Department stated that there was not much damage to the crop due to the inundation in and around Avalanche as per their assessment after field visits.
Out of 4,000 hectares we have surveyed in three blocks namely Udhagamandalam (under which Avalanche comes), Coonoor and Kotagiri, we have noticed only 2.6 hectares at M Palada and Kappachi villages. We will continue our field visit and submit a report about the rain-related damages to district collector Lakshmi Bhavya Thanneru soon,” the official said.
The official also pointed out that they had already instructed farmers to follow the guidelines well before the monsoon, but they didn’t follow them properly, leading to the stagnation of rainwater in the fields.
“A three-foot plot should be created at the four corners of the field along with creating horizontal and vertical pits so that rainwater can drain out quickly. Moreover, this will prevent soil erosion. Farmers who had insured their crops will get Rs 17,000 per acre as compensation,” said the official.