Tamil Nadu rains: Severe downpour, flooding continue across multiple districts

Pic/PTI

The rain continued to batter several districts across Tamil Nadu on Friday and the Thamirabarani river was in spate due to continuous downpours in the southern districts, reported news agency PTI.

The Thoothukudi district administration has issued a flood warning in the Srivaikuntam and Eral areas owing to the heavy inflows into the Thamirabarani river. People in low-lying areas have been advised to shift to safe places.

In Chennai, the Public Works Department (PWD) has issued the first flood warning for the areas near the Redhills and Chembarambakkam reservoirs, among the chief sources of drinking water for the city, following the dangerous increase in water levels due to incessant rain in the catchment areas.

The quantum of surplus water being discharged from the Poondi dam in the city suburb has been increased to 12,000 cusecs this morning from 5,000 cusecs on Thursday evening.

Due to a heavy downpour upstream of Thamirabarani, a flood warning was issued to all villages and towns situated on the banks of the river, the administration said, reported PTI.

The revenue officials have been instructed to evacuate the people from all vulnerable places in Srivaikundam and Eral. Police and Fire and rescue services personnel have asked people to shift to safer areas.

In Maduranthakam in neighbouring Chengalpattu district, a private bus that got stranded in rainwater had to be towed to safety by the police and public. None of the passengers in the bus or its crew were injured.

While a house collapsed in Suthamalli in Tirunelveli district and a Primary Health Centre in Vadakarai in Tenkasi district was inundated following overnight rain, rainwater entered the Sankaranarayana temple in Sankarankoil, reported PTI.

In spite of the rain, the administration of the renowned Sri Arunachaleswar temple in Thiruvannamalai began the preparation for lighting the Maha Deepam atop the hill this evening, marking the conclusion of the grand ten-day festival at the shrine.

The IMD has forecast heavy rain in 14 districts due to a well-marked low-pressure area over the Southwest Bay of Bengal off Sri Lanka coast, which lay over the Gulf of Mannar and neighbourhood. The system is very likely to continue to move west-northwestwards towards South Tamil Nadu and weaken gradually into a low-pressure area during the next 12 hours, the IMD said.

(With inputs from PTI)