Courtallam falls to open for tourists from today
The waterfalls would be open to bathing but with a time restriction. Bathers could access the Old Falls from 6 am to 5.30 pm, from Friday onwards.
Courtallam falls
MADURAI: With the easing of rains, tourists will once again be allowed to bathe under the waterfalls at Courtallam in Tenkasi district.
With the MeT Department in Chennai withdrawing the ‘Red alert’ and not predicting any heavy rainfall in coming days, Tenkasi Collector AK Kamal Kishore on Thursday eased restrictions on bathing under waterfalls after convening a meeting with officials from the Department of Revenue, Police, Forest and Fire and Rescue Services Personnel.
The waterfalls would be open to bathing but with a time restriction. Bathers could access the Old Falls from 6 am to 5.30 pm, from Friday onwards.
Moreover, bathing is also open to all in Five Falls, Small Falls, and Tiger Falls. As for the Main Falls, where some maintenance works are underway, tourists would be allowed to take a bath from 4 pm, on Friday.
Vehicles of tourists and those approaching the waterfalls should be parked in earmarked areas only. Further, the Collector sought cooperation from tourists, who were instructed not to use soap, or shampoo and restricted from using banned plastics and more importantly to be safe.
The Collector, when contacted, said a team from Anna University, Chennai asked for permission to inspect the Main Falls to study prevailing conditions to install flood sensors, which could help detect water presence before any severe damage occurs.
As a safety precautionary measure, mesh-like structures would be put up to prevent bathers from accessing waterfalls at times of flood.
Further, the Collector said police personnel were deployed adequately in the vicinity of waterfalls and the Forest personnel would also monitor the situation in upstream areas of waterfalls.