Thiruvalla: Intense summer showers have marooned vast swathes of paddy fields in parts of central Kerala and Kuttanad.

Rice crops that were set to be harvested in a fortnight were destroyed in the pre-monsoon rains.

A farmer named Rajeev was found hanging from a tree beside a paddy field at Niranam, near Thiruvalla town, in Pathanamthitta district on Monday morning.
A delegation of the opposition political grouping, United Democratic Front, is set to reach Upper Kuttanad to assess crop damages.

State Agriculture minister P Prasad vowed that deserving compensation would be ensured for affected farmers. A meeting in this regard would be called soon, he said.

"The suicide of the farmer is distressing," Prasad said referring to Rajeev's death.

Kuttanad legislator Thomas K Thomas is set to meet the chief minister to apprise him of the state of paddy cultivation following the summer showers.

"All farmers were handed over the compensation," the MLA said. He also assured to enquire into reports that Rajeev had received a paltry compensation of Rs 2,000 for the crop loss.

Reports say crops that would have fetched lakhs of rupees have been destroyed in thousands of acres in Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts.

Such losses have been reported from Palamel and Nooranad panchayats, Mannar, Haripad etc.

Farmers pointed to a rise in water levels in the Achenkovil and Pamba rivers which cut through these areas.

Several rice field embankments (bunds) have washed away or become weak in the wake of unusually high rains for the season.

Summer showers, also known as mango showers, refer to pre-monsoon rainfall across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India and Cambodia. They are also termed 'April rains'.