Cyclone Nivar, Cyclone Burevi and now heavy January rainfall; Tamil Nadu farmers never had it this bad before

Two back-to-back cyclones — Nivar and Burevi — destroyed over thousands hectares of crops in the southern state. Several farmers claim they are yet to be compensated for those crop losses. And now record-breaking January rainfall has mounted their losses.

Nidhi Jamwal
Deputy Managing Editor| Updated: Last updated on January 19th, 2021,

B Prabakaran, a paddy farmer from Cholagankarai village in Thanjavur district has lost his entire paddy crop. Pic: By arrangement

Till March last year, 33-year-old B Prabakaran was employed at a private company in Bengaluru. Since the cost of living in the metropolis was very high, he rented an accommodation in Hosur, on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, and daily commuted to his workplace on a two-wheeler. 

When the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was enforced on March 25, he packed his bags and returned to his village Cholagankarai in Orathanadu taluka of Thanjavur district, which is known as the granary of Tamil Nadu. 

On his ancestral three acres (1.2 hectares) farm land, he decided to grow paddy to make ends meet. But, the lockdown and the pandemic ensured there was little agricultural activity he could undertake. 

Finally, in the samba crop season, in September last year, he planted paddy on his three-acre land. He took an additional one acre (0.4 hectare) land on lease to grow paddy. Things had finally started to look up, he thought, hoping for a bountiful harvest in the first week of January. But in the end of November and early December, Tamil Nadu faced two back-to-back cyclones — Nivar and Burevi — causing large-scale crop destruction. 

Prabakaran lost a large chunk of his paddy crop. However, his losses did not end there. Since the beginning of this month, Tamil Nadu has been receiving untimely and incessant rainfall that has caused further destruction of the paddy crop.

Prabakaran losses are now 100 per cent.

After Nivar and Burevi cyclones, heavy rainfall in January has destroyed standing paddy crop in Tamil Nadu. Pic: By arrangement

Farmers across the Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu have had a terrible start to the new year as continuous heavy downpour has flushed their fields and destroyed their samba crops. Several of these farmers are yet to receive any compensation for the losses suffered due to Nivar and Burevi cyclones. And now they have lost more crops to the unseasonal January rains.

“In spite of insuring my paddy crop and the government declaring cyclone relief to the farmers, I have not received a penny,” Prabakaran told Gaon Connection. “And now the heavy rains have washed away everything on my farmland. I have no idea how I will cope up with these series of disasters. How will I feed my family?” he wondered.

Record breaking January rainfall

Tamil Nadu’s normal January rainfall is 18 mm. Already, this month (till January 14), the state has received 124.8 mm. The previous heaviest recorded rainfall was 141.2 mm in January 1921, and the state looks all set ready to break that record.

As per the data of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), between January 1 and January 14 this month, the meteorological sub-division of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has registered a rainfall departure of 1,057 per cent. As against a normal rainfall of 10.8 mm, this meteorological sub-division has received 125 mm rainfall.

All the 37 districts in Tamil Nadu have received ‘large excess’ rainfall in the initial two weeks of this month, shows the met department’s data. Prabakaran’s Thanjavur district has recorded a rainfall departure of 1,190 per cent (between January 1-14). 

Untimely rains have played havoc with paddy harvesting in the southern state. Photo: JayaKumar

“These  unprecedented rains are due to Easterly Wave activities, which are weather systems moving from east to west across south peninsula, and supported by the presence of an active Madden Julian Oscillation. This season, easterly wave activities are prominent. These systems would cause heavy rains while moving westwards,” Madhavan Rajeevan, secretary, Union ministry of earth sciences told Gaon Connection

“In addition, there was a phase locking and interaction with the huge western disturbance which moved across northern parts including Delhi. This interaction caused some rains even in Maharashtra including Mumbai,” he added. According to him, as per the IMD’s prediction, these activities are likely to subside.

In a press release, PR Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu, said that one million acres of the samba crop in the delta region and 2.5 million acres across Tamil Nadu were submerged due to the January rainfall. He has appealed to the government to give the farmers Rs 30,000 an acre compensation. 

Farmers are demanding a compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre. Pic: By arrangement

Crop losses due to Nivar and Burevi cyclones

According to the IMD, in the year 2020, the progress of northeast monsoon rainfall over Tamil Nadu has been highly variable as it was subdued till November 11. Rainfall over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and adjoining southeast peninsula significantly enhanced during the second fortnight of November 2020 and the first week of Dec 2020 due to the formation and movement of two back-by-back cyclones towards the Tamil Nadu coast —  very severe cyclonic storm Nivar (made a landfall on November 25 ) and the cyclonic storm Burevi (December 3).

The high speed winds and rains brought by these two cyclones caused widespread crop losses in the state. Both the paddy and horticulture crops in the state were affected. It is estimated that Nivar cyclone destroyed crops over an area of 15,600 hectares, whereas Burevi cyclone affected crops over 66,874 hectares. 

Fifty-two-year-old K Panchaiyan of Yoghanayagipuram in Orathanadu taluka in Thanjavur had planted paddy on his 14 acre land. Because of the back-to-back cyclones, he lost about 40 per cent of his crop. In the last week of December, he harvested paddy from three acres of land. But, heavy rainfall in January washed away his harvested crop and whatever was left in the field is gone too.

“When I suffered losses post the cyclones, government officials visited my field to assess my losses and assured me I would be compensated. But so far, I have not received any compensation,” Panchaiyan told Gaon Connection. “For the last two weeks, it is raining heavily and there is no sunlight. I have lost my paddy crop over an entire 14-acre land,” lamented the father of three whose sole source of income is farming.

He claimed that in the past five decades of his life, he has never seen such rainfall in January in his district.

In an official release last month, the state government had said: “The information given by farmers who have faced crop loss are being verified. Once a complete report is submitted to the government about the loss, compensation will be provided to the farmers. The details of crop loss above 33 per cent, names of farmers, their Aadhaar numbers and bank account details are being collected and data entry is underway.”

The state chief minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami, also assured “not even a single farmer’s name should be left out in paying compensation.” On January 2, he announced Rs 600 crore as input relief for farmers affected by the two cyclones.

However, even before farmers could receive the compensation, they suffered more crop losses in the heavy January rainfall.

K Muthaiyan of Cholagankudikadu village in Thanjavur has lost his standing paddy crop on 7-acre land. Pic: By arrangement

K Muthaiyan of Cholagankudikadu village in Thanjavur planted paddy on his seven acre land in the end of August last year and had to harvest his produce in December. “When the cyclones came, my standing paddy crop fell down and close to half the crop was lost,” Muthaiyan told Gaon Connection. “Now with incessant January rainfall, the paddy  seeds have started regrowing in the field itself. I have lost my entire crop,” he added.

Like Panchaiyan, the officials had also visited Muthaiyan’s field to assess crop damages. “They took photographs of my destroyed crop and assured me compensation but so far I have not received any money,” he complained. 

Crop losses aside, these farmers will now have to spend additional money to drain their farmlands of the stagnated rainwater and remove the wasted crop. “Growing paddy requires an investment of about Rs 30,000 per acre. During harvesting, we have to hire machines that cost Rs 2,500 per hour. I have lost all my investment and now I will have to hire these machines to clear the field,” he added.

Prabakaran was hoping for a profit of Rs two lakh in the samba season. However, now he is calculating his losses. He fears it is the end of the road for him, a feeling shared by thousands of farmers in the Cauvery delta, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu.  

Gaon Connection contacted the office of Thanjavur district collector but is yet to receive a response. The story will be updated as and when the response is received.