Trichy: Delta districts are bracing for heavy rainfall following an orange alert from the India Meteorological Department. With nearly five lakh hectares of samba and thaladi crops ready for harvest, farmers in the region are increasingly worried.The regional meteorological center issued an orange alert for Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore and Karaikal on Saturday. The agriculture and farmers welfare department has advised farmers to act quickly to minimize losses due to waterlogging in fields and possible deterioration of harvested produce due to heavy rains expected in the coming days. Authorities have recommended proper drainage systems in the fields to facilitate quick removal of excess rainwater. This measure aims to prevent risks such as premature germination of rice grains or discoloration of corn and sorghum cobs caused by prolonged stagnation of water.In November, heavy rains caused by Cyclone Ditwah inundated more than 82,000 hectares of month-old samba rice and two-week-old thaladi rice crops in Trichy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Cuddalore districts, where a total of 4.5 lakh hectares were under cultivation.