Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Coimbatore reels under heavy rain

Special Correspondent

Block in canal floods a number of residential colonies

DELUGE AND THE VISIT: A flooded area near Puliakulam. (Right) Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy (second left) and Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran (left) visiting a flood-hit colony at Ammankulam in the city on Thursd ay. — PHOTOs: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

COIMBATORE: Heavy rain on Wednesday night threw life out of gear in many areas in the city. Broken chairs, discarded beds and pillows and plastic items choked the Sanganur Canal and this resulted in water overflowing into nearly 10 residential colonies.

Kothari Layout, Kongu Nagar, Om Shakthi Nagar, Krishna Colony, Ammankulam, Perks School, the Tamil Nadu Housing Board's colony at Singanallur were some of the residential areas that got flooded by the problem in the canal. Water entered many houses in these areas. Hutments in Ammankulam were badly hit. The overflow from the canal did not spare the Uzhavar Sandhai at Singanallur.

Corporation workers fished out the waste materials and worked through the night to restore smooth flow in the canal. But, by that time, enough damage had been done to many areas as rain pounded the city relentlessly for more than three hours.

Once again, clogged storm water drains proved disastrous for areas that were suffering this problem for years. The Bank Road outside the railway junction resembled a river in spate as water rushed to the Lanka Corner underpass down that stretch.

Less than a km away, water level in the Valankulam rose and threatened to enter more houses built close to it. Water from Selvachinthamani Tank overflowed on the Selvapuram Bypass Road and people even caught fish on the road.

Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy, Mayor `Colony' R. Venkatachalam, Collector Neeraj Mittal and Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran visited the flood-hit areas. While these were the affected areas in the eastern parts of the city, those in the western side included colonies close to Muthannankulam.

With silt filling up the storm water drain at the Lawley Road Junction, water entered colonies nearby. Garbage and mud were washed on to the Thadagam Road on Tuesday night.

Merchants at the Ramar Koil Market at Ukkadam complained to the Minister and others of rainwater and sewage entering the market. The Minister asked the Corporation to draw up a project for a permanent solution to this problem.

Residents of Kongu Nagar appealed to the Minister for de-silting of a canal in their area to prevent flooding. A press release from the district administration said that the Collector had asked for a copy of the layout plan of that area to study the problem.

The Minister also called upon the Corporation to pump water out of the affected areas and also evolve a plan for flood prevention. The Collector also asked people living in low-lying areas near tanks and canals to move out to safe places, the release said.

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