As the northeast monsoon unleashes relentless rains across Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin is racing against time to curb widespread flood damage, with paddy fields in the Cauvery delta drowning under water. On Tuesday, Stalin chaired a high-stakes virtual meeting from the Secretariat, directing collectors in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and delta districts to ramp up relief efforts. This marks his second review in three days, underscoring the crisis as heavy rainfall—averaging 56.61 mm across affected areas—threatens lives, crops, and livelihoods.

Stalin deployed 12 senior IAS officers to rain-battered districts like Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Kallakurichi, and Perambalur, all under red or orange alerts. For Chennai, he ordered officials across its 15 zones to launch immediate flood mitigation and emergency measures. “Let the government machinery work tirelessly to protect the people,” he urged on X, emphasizing coordinated action to prevent loss of life and property. Southern and western districts, including Kanniyakumari, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Coimbatore, and the Nilgiris, have also been hammered by heavy showers, amplifying the state’s challenges.

The Cauvery delta, Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl, is reeling from the deluge. In Nagapattinam, around 2,400 hectares of mature kuruvai crops and 2,500 hectares of samba seedlings are submerged, with 30-40% potentially ruined, per agriculture officials. Of 30,217 hectares of kuruvai cultivated, only 14,780 hectares were harvested before the floods hit low-lying areas. In Cuddalore, 1,000 acres near Chidambaram are waterlogged, with transplanted crops in areas like C Sathamangalam and Velliyakudi rotting in stagnant water. Thanjavur reports flooding in Velangudi, Nallavanniyankudikadu, and Alakudi, with 80 mm of rain recorded in Ayyampettai alone. Of Thanjavur’s 79,000 hectares of kuruvai, 580 hectares are waterlogged, while 100 hectares of the 45,000 samba hectares are underwater. Thanjavur Collector B Priyanka Pankajam inspected affected fields in Alakudi to gauge the devastation, with a detailed crop loss assessment set to begin Wednesday.

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Stalin also tackled paddy procurement woes in the delta, ordering officials in Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, and Thanjavur to expedite stock movement to warehouses to shield harvested paddy from moisture damage. He pressed the Union government to relax paddy moisture content limits from 17% to 22%, a plea sent on October 19, to ease procurement challenges. Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin and Chief Secretary N Muruganandam joined the meeting, signaling an all-hands-on-deck approach.

Opposition leaders, including AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami and TNCC’s K Selvaperunthagai, have demanded swift action to protect northern coastal and delta districts facing heavy rain forecasts. With emergency equipment on standby and officials fanning out across the state, Tamil Nadu braces for more rain, hoping to salvage its crops and communities from the monsoon’s wrath.

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