Heavy rain pounds Pandalur and Gudalur taluks in the Nilgiris

COIMBATORE: As heavy rains continued to pound Pandalur and Gudalur taluks in the Nilgiris, several families from a flooded residential neighbourhood were sheltered in temporary relief camps.

Schools and colleges extended holidays in rain-hit areas. Water entered several houses in Ambalamoola as the Ponnani River was in spate and the affected families were sheltered in a school. Vehicular movement was disrupted as the arterial roads including Pandalur Bazaar Road and interior roads.

Police said Nisha, a pharmacist from Primary Health Centre in Uppatty was returning home with her family members in a car after duty when a heavy water current carried away the car. As the car came to a halt hitting a tree, the three members of the family got down from the vehicle and managed to escape.

Mud slips were reported near the BSNL tower on the Athikunna- Devala road and in a few other areas. Houses in the Iruvayal locality were inundated by the overflowing Thorapalli River in Gudalur.

After heavy downpour throughout the day on Friday, the rains eased a bit at night. However the water did not recede from the houses and stagnated around houses in the residential neighbourhood. The tribal villagers lamented that the river flooded their neighbourhood as it was not desilted properly before the monsoon.