Rains lash parts of southern districts

MADURAI: Rains lashed parts of southern districts in the ongoing Northeast monsoon season, throwing normal life out of gear.

Parts of Kodaikanal have been witnessing rains since Saturday. Rains lashed for nearly three hours from 2 pm, on Saturday and later subsided into a drizzle the next day. The downpour caused flash flooding in Moongil Kadu in Kodaikanal, sources said.

Kodaikanal Revenue Divisional Officer R Raja said the particular area in Moongil Kadu is prone to flooding whenever there’s heavy rain. People were advised not to visit the place and inter-department coordination teams have been keenly monitoring the situation. As it’s steep, flood waters would normally drain away within one and a half to two hours. A proposal has been already sent for a bridge to be constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh at Moongil Kadu. Heavy rains on Saturday uprooted five trees in parts of Kodaikanal and caused minor landslides in two locations on Batlagundu-Kodaikanal Road and also Palani road. But restoration works were done, and normalcy was restored. While Kodaikanal (Bryant Park) experienced a maximum of 90.4 mm rainfall, Rose Garden in Kodaikanal received 74 mm, sources said.

Rainfall in the catchment areas triggered flooding in the Kottakudi river in Bodinayakanur of Theni district. A tractor laden with mangos got stuck in the flood while crossing the river. Hours later when the flood receded, the local villagers managed to retrieve the tractor around 11 am, A Jalal, Tahsildar, Bodinayakkanur said, adding that landslides occurred in plantation sites at Vadakkumalai village. However, no casualty has been reported.

After the water level in the Vaigai dam (71 feet) in Theni district touched 70 ft, 4,230 cusecs of water was released from the dam since 6 am on Sunday. After 7 pm, the level has reduced by 3,053 cusecs, P Murugesan, assistant executive engineer, PWD, Vaigai dam, said.

Madurai Collector S Aneesh Sekhar said that the flow of water on the Vaigai river is close to 14,000 cusecs at around 4 pm, on Sunday and he advised people, especially those living on the riverbanks, to be more cautious. The flow of water is expected to reduce in the next few hours, he added.