Wet spell begins in south with monsoon onset

The onset of southwest monsoon has cheered people, as rainfall provided them respite from the scorching heat in parts of southern Tamil Nadu on Monday.

A copious amount of rain in catchment areas has led to a rise in storage in dams in Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts. The catchment areas along the Western Ghats also received a considerable amount of rainfall.

While Tirunelveli district registered an average of 8.16 mm of rainfall till Monday morning, Ambasamudram received the highest amount (23.4 mm). Radhapuram (17 mm), Papanasam (15 mm) and Cheranmahadevi (12.2 mm) also witnessed heavy rains. The downpour is expected to ward off concerns of water scarcity among the people.

While the water level in Papanasam dam, one of the major reservoirs in the region, was abysmally low below 10 feet a few days ago, the storage increased to 20.40 feet on Monday morning. Moreover, a water inflow of 1,153.70 cusecs was recorded in the dam, which caters to the needs of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts. While water level in Manimuthar dam touched 57.75 feet, it stood at 46.19 feet in Servalar dam.

Furthermore, Courtallam in Tirunelveli district has started welcoming tourists this season as its famed waterfalls came alive since Monday morning. Tourists thronged the ‘Five Falls’ and ‘Main Falls’ in large numbers and enjoyed a bath. Local traders and lodge owners, who were bust catering to the needs of tourists, expressed happiness over the prevailing weather condition.

Elsewhere in Kanniyakumari district, rains continued overnight on Sunday in several places. The district registered an average rainfall of 38 mm on Sunday, with Padmanabhapuram receiving 70 mm, the highest.

When contacted, district collector Prashant M Wadnere said no rain-related incident had occurred so far. Adequate precautionary measures were taken with the deployment of nine zonal teams, he said.

Fisheries Department sources said country boat fishermen in the district had been advised not to venture into the sea as conditions were not conducive in the west coast, as forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Waves measuring up to 3.5-4 metres were recorded in some coastal areas. The district has a fleet of around 5,400 registered country boats.