5,500 hectares of paddy inundated

CHENNAI: Thousands of hectares of paddy crop in several districts have been inundated due to heavy downpours over the last four days, putting the State machinery on alert.Officials at the Agriculture Department here said that majority of the inundation has occurred in the lower Cauvery delta district of Nagapattinam. Water logging has been reported in 4,010 hectares of paddy farms. While in Tirunelveli, 1,328 hectares of paddy were under water. Another round of assessment will follow since the crops in Tirunelveli have been classified as “50 per cent damaged” before a recommendation is made by the concerned Collector regarding compensation to farmers. However, farmers in Nagapattinam may not be able to seek compensation since the damage to their crops is comparatively less.Cuddalore, Tiruvarur, Virudhunagar and Kanyakumari have reported a negligible amount of damage. Only 100 hectares of crops in Thanjavur have seen slight water logging. The water will drain out since the rains have subsided in the region.