Flooding continues in Thamirabarani River for second day as rain batters southern districts

CHENNAI: With Southern districts receiving incessant rainfall over the past few days, the Thamirabarani River continues to flood for the second consecutive day. The water levels in most of the dams in the area have also gone up due to the heavy rainfall.

A red alert was issued for Tirunelveli district from Thursday due to a deep depression that has formed in the Bay of Bengal. Due to this, the district has been receiving heavy rain in several areas including Ambai, Cheranmadevi, Mukoodal, Nellai, Palayankottai, Kalakkadu, Nanguneri, Valliyur, Radhapuram, and Mookkaraipatti, according to a Daily Thanthi report.

Similarly, the Manjolai, Papanasam, and Chervalar dam catchment areas located above the Manimuthar dam in the Western Ghats also has been receiving heavy rainfall. As a result of this, the water inflow to these dams have increased, and the reservoirs are filling up rapidly with rainwater.

The 143-foot-high Papanasam Dam is currently receiving 6,427 cubic feet of water per second while 624 cubic feet of water is being released from the dam. The water level of the 156-foot-high Chervalar Dam has risen by 28 feet in a single day. The water level of the Manimuthar Dam has also risen to 90 feet and 1,500 cubic feet of water per second is released from the Papanasam and Manimutharu dams into the Thamirabarani river.

Following this, public announcements have been made warning people of flooding in the area. The district administration authorities have requested people in low-lying areas to shift to safer places and warned people not to visit overflowing water bodies and take selfies. With many houses in the region being surrounded by rainwater, normal life in southern districts have taken a hit over the past two days.