Rain damage assessment under way in Coimbatore district

COIMBATORE: An assessment of the damage caused by the recent heavy spells is under way in Coimbatore district. An official in the district disaster management authority said revenue, horticulture and agriculture departments were assessing damage to huts, properties and crops caused by continuous rain over the past four days.

“Hut damages were reported from Vellalapalayam, Periyanegamam, N Chandrapuram, Unjavelampatti, and Thalakarai areas in Pollachi block. In Kinathukadavu block, huts were damaged in Kappalankarai and Kakkadavu villages on Tuesday,” the official said.

Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds destroyed more than 15,000 banana plants in Theethipalayam, Kuppanur and surrounding areas in the district. The Thondamuthur region experienced intense rainfall on Tuesday, while Valparai hills received widespread rain that caused damage to roads, electric poles and trees.

Periyasamy, a farmer in Theethipalayam, said as the banana plants were at the harvesting stage, farmers suffered significant losses. “Horticulture and revenue departments and district administration should conduct a field survey and ensure appropriate compensation from the disaster response fund for the affected farmers,” he said.

"Horticulture department officials say the existing govt order provides only Rs17,500 per hectare as compensation from the disaster response fund, which amounts to about Rs 6 per banana plant," he said.

“A banana sapling costs Rs 25 at the nursery, and the total production cost is around Rs 300 per plant. Currently, the market value of a banana plant is between Rs 750 and Rs 800. After a year of investment, receiving only Rs 6 per plant is unacceptable. The district administration should recommend changes to the govt order to ensure adequate compensation for banana crops, considering the scale of farmers’ losses,” Periyasamy said.

Selvaraj, a farmer in Kuppanur, urged the authorities to conduct a field assessment at the earliest to provide timely and adequate relief. He urged them to educate farmers on measures to protect banana plants from wind damage.