Thoothukudi limps back to normalcy; traffic restored in Athoor Bridge while Eral still remains sore point

MADURAI: Thoothukudi is limping back to normalcy as district administration was able to restore vehicular traffic through the Athoor Bridge, yet finding it tough to set right the Eral bridge.

The administration said it is putting in all possible relief efforts to ensure the flood-hit district is back to its normal life.

Over 474 areas in Thoothukudi were affected after the December 14 downpour. The district administration said that except for 100 areas, all other locales are back to normalcy. The Collector said that over a hundred motor pumps were used to drain waterlogging from low-lying areas. All eight battered roads have been fixed, Collector K Elambahavath told reporters on Monday.

However, the Eral bridge is a challenge for authorities as floods have eroded the structure's base, leading to authorities stopping vehicular traffic for a fourth consecutive day, even though water flow has come down.

Monday, Maruthur Anicut had an inflow of 5,648 cusecs, and Srivaikuntam Anicut had an inflow of 10,370 cusecs. The Highways Department personnel were engaged in temporarily restoring its normalcy. Outflow from the Korampallam tank has been stopped, which saw a maximum of 19,200 cusecs discharge.

The Collector said 212 huts have been damaged because of the floods. He added that 41 goats and 10,000 poultry have been killed in the floods. The Collector said teams were taking stock of the damage caused to crops to provide compensation.

Except for the Periya Piratti tank, the district administration said there’s no breach in waterbodies. Storage was 95 per cent in 200 tanks, and 80 tanks brim to the full. As for 180 irrigation tanks, the storage is about 50 to 60 per cent.

The district received 150 mm of rain in December but is still facing a deficit of 120 mm of rainfall for a month.