The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Floods bring down bridge, destroy causeway

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Floods bring down bridge, destroy causeway

Special Correspondent

Maarangiyur, Sethur, Pongarayanur and Paiyur villages have been cut off from the mainland Maarangiyur, Sethur, Pongarayanur and Paiyur villages cut off from the mainland Collector directed the officials of the Public Works Department, police, revenue and the fire service and rescue personnel to camp at these villages to render all possible help to the flood-affected people

VILLUPURAM: Floods caused havoc in Villupuram by pulling down a bridge linking Siru Madurai to Paiyur, and rendering unusable a causeway between Ellis Chathiram and Maarangiyur on Tuesday.

Because of this, about 5,000 people living in the four villages of Maarangiyur, Sethur, Pongarayanur and Paiyur have been cut off from the mainland, as the road communication has been snapped. The road traffic on these routes has been thrown out of gear. Bring down

The Villupuram Collector Ka.Balachandran rushed to these places to initiate relief measures. The Collector had ordered for the deployment of mechanized boats to bring the villagers onto the mainland and provide them with free rice, pulses, salt, milk and kerosene.

Mr Balachandran said soon temporary bridges would be built at these places to restore normal life. He had directed the officials of the Public Works Department, police, revenue and the fire service and rescue personnel to camp at these villages to render all possible help to the flood-affected people.

The Superintendent of Police K.Periaiah and other officials accompanied the Collector.

Discharge from dams

The Collector said that almost all the dams in the district were opened to discharge water for irrigation and also to drain the surplus water. From the Krishnagiri Dam, 22,000 cusecs of water was let out into the Then Pennaiyar; and from the Sathanur Dam 25,388 cusecs was released.

The water from the Thirukkoilur Dam was irrigating 891 acres, besides filling up 96 eris, and the remaining 33,203 cusecs was discharged.

Boats deployed

About 3,000 inhabitants of an islet named Akkarai Jayamkondapattinam in Parangipettai block, about 75 km from here, are living in panic as the Kollidam river, that runs encircling the habitation, is in spate.

The islet faces the threat of getting submerged once the heavy discharge, crossing six lakh cusecs, from Mettur reaches this point.

On information, the Cuddalore Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi, along with District Revenue Officer (Relief and Rehabilitation) M.S.Shanmugham and Personal Assistant (Agriculture) K.Ilango rushed to the spot and arranged for deployment of 18 mechanised boats to evacuate the people to safer places.

The islet, mostly populated by farm labourers, cannot boast of any telecommunication facilities. Hence, the message that the district administration had come to their rescue could not reach them.

He said he had directed the District Fire Service Officer to deploy 20 personnel there to deal with exigencies, and to bring lifebuoys and lifebelts from the Perumal Eri and Vriddhachalam. Adequate rice stocks and petromax lights too had been kept ready at the two cyclone shelters there to render immediate relief to the people.

He said three contiguous places such as Akkarai Jayamkondapattinam, Naduthittu and Keelakondampadi had been identified as "vulnerable areas" as these might get flooded any time.

Schools closed

Mr Bedi said since the Vayalur eri was overflowing, the bridge at Erumanur was submerged, thus hindering the traffic flow.

The Collector said he had directed the educational institutions in Vriddhachalam town to declare holiday for two days (on Tuesday and Wednesday).

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