Mannar: Heavy rain submerged the paddy fields in Block 9 of Chennithala, where seeds had been sown just days ago. Block 9 is the first area in Upper Kuttanad—covering regions of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam— to begin cultivation for the summer paddy season. The downpour has also hampered field preparation across other blocks in the region.

The intense rainfall on Friday evening left nearly a foot of water standing in the fields, submerging freshly sown seeds and tender saplings. Farmers here had invested close to ₹25,000 for sowing.

"It will take at least three days of continuous effort to drain the water completely," said a farmer. "If it rains again before that, the seeds will be destroyed," he added.

Despite the challenges, farmers have begun pumping out the water in an attempt to save the crop. They had gone ahead with sowing despite unfavourable weather conditions, hoping to harvest the crop by the first week of March next year.

"The government had supplied high-quality paddy. But, bad weather, caused by climate change, has destroyed the crop. Taking this into account, the government should announce a financial aid package to compensate the losses suffered by farmers," said office-bearers of the Padasekhara Samithy, a farmers’ collective, including its convenor P J Romeo, president Sam Cherian and secretary Santhosh Kochikkal.

Work to prepare land for paddy cultivation in the fields in Chennithala and Mannar panchayats has come to halt following the rains. Farmers said that it was a relief that no rain was experienced on Saturday. “Even then, further farming activities can be launched only when the water in paddy fields recedes,” said a farmer in the area.