The Hindu : Front Page : Flood alert sounded in Tiruchi again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 24, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Flood alert sounded in Tiruchi again

Special Correspondent

RAIN FORCE: Water overflowing across a temporary causeway on the Tiruchi-Thanjavur highway in Tiruchi on Wednesday. — Photo: M. Moorthy.

TIRUCHI: A flood alert has been sounded along the Cauvery and Coleroon riverbanks for the second time in the last 30 days following heavy discharge from the Amaravathy dam even as heavy rains continued to lash Tiruchi, Pudukottai and Perambalur districts for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.

Round-the-clock patrolling of tanks and river courses has been ordered in the districts.

The Tiruchi Collector, K. Nanda Kishore, requested people living in low-lying areas along the Cauvery and Coleroon banks to move to safer places in view of the heavy water inflow.

The discharge of about 68,000 cusecs from the Amaravathy dam on Wednesday morning, along with the Mettur discharge of about 24,800 cusecs in the evening was expected to reach the Upper Anaicut (Mookkombu) later on Wednesday night. PWD authorities expect the water realisation at the Upper Anaicut to go up to 1.25 lakh cusecs on Thursday. A substantial portion of the realisation would be diverted into the Coleroon. Mr. Kishore, however, said there was no cause for alarm as adequate precautions were taken.

Traffic suspended

Meanwhile, traffic remained suspended on the Tiruchi-Thanjavur national highway on Wednesday after the tanks in the Thuvakudi and Keeranur regions overflowed across a temporary causeway put up in view of the construction of a minor bridge across the Cholakampatti Vari near Thuvakudi. Traffic was diverted through Ordnance Factory and Keeranur.

Some of the villages near Devarayaneri off the highway were inundated. Dhanalakshmi (68) was killed in a wall collapse at B. Mettur near Uppilliyapuram in Tiruchi district. Five villages in Uppilliyapuram region, including Vairachettipalayam and Sobhanapuram in Tiruchi district, were also inundated due to the surplus discharges from local tanks.

A holiday was declared for schools in Tiruchi, Karur, Pudukottai and Perambalur districts on Thursday.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section