Eloor: With the rains staying away for days on end and extreme heat persisting in the region, water in the paddy polder networks here has completely dried up. The unprecedented drought has left the farmers’ collective in Eloor anxious, as water is vital for the success of paddy cultivation on the 20-acre fields that had remained fallow for several years.

The paddy saplings on the fields were replanted just 22 days ago and fertilisation at the roots has already been carried out. For healthy growth, the fields must retain water, but with the rains failing, most areas have turned dry. The saplings in these patches are now at risk of withering.

Although the farmers initially managed to draw water from a nearby stream, that source too has dried up. With water levels in the river falling steadily, even the high tides fail to push sufficient volumes of water into the stream. The farmers’ collective is now struggling to protect their crop and ensure their hard work does not go in vain.

Earlier, an irrigation system had supplied water to these polders, but it was damaged during the floods. When the fallow fields were restored and made fit for farming again, the Eloor municipality allocated ₹8 lakh to the Irrigation Department to revive the system. However, the works remain incomplete, with electrical installations yet to begin and the canal itself left uncleared.