Flash floods at waterfalls in Tamil Nadu as heavy rains slash across state

Chennai: In wake of incessant and heavy rains in southern Tamil Nadu, flash floods were reported in Courtallam waterfall in Tenkasi district and in Chinna Suruli waterfalls in Theni district.

Forest Department officials are cordoning off the waterfall0 areas to prevent entry of public.

Districts in south Tamil Nadu – Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari – have been witnessing heavy rains for the past couple of days and regular rains in the month so far. This, according to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), is much higher, compared to the rains of 2019 and 2020.

IMD officials said that rain gauges have measured 1,092 mm rainfall in October in south Tamil Nadu districts and this is around three times what has been received during the same period in 2020. In October 2019, the amount of rainfall recorded in southern Tamil Nadu was 486.90 mm and in October 2020, it was 348.50 mm.

The Papanasam rain gauge station in Tirunelveli recorded “extreme rainfall”.

The Water Resources Department, in a statement on Sunday, said that the Papanasam dam in Tirunelveli district had water to the level of 131.30 feet while its maximum height was 143 feet, against 108.30 feet in 2020 and 106.30 feet in 2019. The statement said that Manimuthar reservoir in the same district had water levels of 74.50 feet (maximum level 118 feet), against 44.20 feet in 2019 and 73.80 feet in 2020.

In Kanniyakumari District, fishermen have been issued warnings not to venture into seas. Continuous rains for the past four days have inundated low-lying areas of the district and a steady water flow is received in all the dams.

In Theni and Dindigul districts also, weathermen have predicted heavy rains for the next 24 hours and police and Water Resources Departments are on a high alert in these districts.