Heavy rains disrupt normalcy in the Nilgiris, Valparai hills

COIMBATORE: Heavy rains pounded the Nilgiris and Valparai hills resulting in tree falls and mud slips in multiple areas.

Also, tourist destinations in the Nilgiris including Government Botanical Garden (GBG), Sims Park, Lambs Rock, Dolphin Nose and other areas wore a deserted look without tourists due to continuous rains.

The forest department has temporarily closed eco-tourism in Avalanche, Doddabetta peak and Pine Forest due to rains.

As rains continued to pound, schools in the Nilgiris were declared a holiday on Tuesday.

Vehicles movement on Gudalur to Masinagudi was suspended since morning due to a flooded causeway at Theppakadu in Mudumalai.

Tourist vehicles and buses were stopped at Mudumalai.

Vehicles coming from Mysuru were diverted through Gudalur to reach Ooty.

Residents of Iruvayal were forced to stay inside their houses as a flooded Thorapalli River led to inundation of the neighbourhood.

Several hamlets along Gudalur to ‘O’ Valley were drowned in darkness as tree falls on power cables led to electricity disruptions.

Similarly in Valparai, a mud slip triggered a tree fall, blocking the ghat road on 25th hair pin bend on the Pollachi-Valparai ghat road on Tuesday, around 4am.

Soon, a joint team comprising the highways department, fire and rescue personnel and police removed the tree and mud by deploying machineries.

Traffic was disrupted on the ghat stretch for more than four hours.

As the Valparai TNSTC bus depot got inundated, the buses were taken out around midnight.

Water from the overflowing Stanmore River entered into some residential areas in ‘Aathu mattam’.

Meanwhile, a flood alert has been issued to people living along the banks of River Bhavani as water storage level in Pillur dam has reached its brim.

As water level in the dam has reached 97 feet on Tuesday morning as against its full storage level of 100 feet, the entire inflow of 18,120 cusecs was released around 1pm causing flooding in River Bhavani.