In a heart-wrenching incident that highlights the grim reality faced by farmers in the region, Rajkumar, a 47-year-old farmer from Tiruvaimozhi near Tirukuvalai in Nagapattinam district, breathed his last on Monday after witnessing his once-promising 50 acres of kuruvai crops succumb to the relentless grip of water shortage.Kuruvai, a vital rice crop in the region, had been the source of hope and livelihood for Rajkumar and countless other farmers in the area. However, this year, they found themselves battling not only the forces of nature but also a desperate struggle for water to save their 80-day-old crops, which were in the crucial flowering stage.
The situation had grown dire, with many farmers facing the harsh reality that their crops were wilting away due to insufficient water supply. Despite their efforts to salvage what they could, utilizing water bodies in neighboring villages, their attempts proved futile against the relentless drought.