25 days on, coracles back in action at Hogenakkal

The coracle services had remained suspended due to the flood alert following heavy discharge from reservoirs in Karnataka. With the inflow coming down drastically on account of rains receding in the catchment areas, the Dharmapuri district administration decided to lift the ban on coracle services. 

The coracle operators ferried tourists, who thronged the falls from Kothikal to Rasimanal ‘thittu’. The operators were advised by the district administration to strictly adhere to the norms and not take tourists into dangerous zones. 

Meanwhile, the inflow into the Mettur dam, which stood at 14,661 cusecs on Thursday, declined to 13,278 cusecs on Friday. The dam reached its full reservoir level of 120 feet on July 23. 

Water level in the dam, which was maintained at its full level over the last one week, has started to dip gradually from 119.98 feet on Thursday to 119.71 feet on Friday morning. While the inflow has come down, the discharge has been stepped up to 18,267 cusecs for canal irrigation, said PWD officials. 

A holiday was declared in Dharmapuri district in view of the ‘Aadi Perukku’ festival. Tourism Minister ‘Vellamandi’ N Natarajan, Higher Education Minister KP Anbalagan, Dharmapuri Collector S Malarvizhi and other officials participated in the Aadi Perukku function in Hogenakkal. 

Meanwhile, a 43-year-old priest drowned when he entered the Cauvery carrying ‘theerthakudam’ at Kottaimedu in Salem district. A group of around 50 people from Vettuvapatty had come to take a dip in the river, when Sakthivel drowned in the deep waters. 

The fire and rescue service personnel retrieved his body after a search. The Poolampatti police in Salem have registered a case and conducting investigations. In another incident, two persons identified as Suresh (34) and Kumar (29) from Edappadi were rescued after they were trapped in the fast-flowing river.

“The duo got into the river to take bath but got trapped in the gushing waters. The fire and rescue service personnel rescued them using a rope,” police said.