Intermittent rain since the early hours of Monday has disrupted salt production, a major industry in Thoothukudi district, leaving more than 10,000 salt pan workers without work.
The Meteorological Department had forecast widespread rain in Thoothukudi and other districts. Following the forecast, the sky remained overcast from 3 a.m., with intermittent showers across Thoothukudi city.
The rain has also led to flooding on low-lying roads in several parts of the city.
Salt production has come to a complete halt as rainwater has accumulated in salt pans, making it impossible for workers to continue harvesting salt.
The disruption has affected the livelihoods of more than thousands of workers employed in the district’s salt industry.
A key contributor to Tamil Nadu’s salt industry, it plays a major role in making the State the country’s second-largest salt producer after Gujarat.
Under normal climatic conditions, Thoothukudi has an annual salt production capacity of around 25 lakh tonnes.
Thoothukudi supplies edible and industrial salt to several southern States, including Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It also exports high-quality salt to international markets such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Malaysia.
