TIRUCHY/ERODE : Eight persons were arrested on Monday for allegedly ignoring the flood alert and entering the Cauvery river to take bath. In the wake of Central Water Commission issuing a flood alert following release of over One lakh cusecs from Mettur dam, the district administration restricted entry of people into Kollidam and Cauvery. Meanwhile, tourists in a jeep that was caught in the flash flood of the Moyar river, near Bhavanisagar, were rescued after a three-hour struggle on Monday. The jeep had tried to cross the river when the water had receded to an extent but was caught in the sudden flood.
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According to sources, over 3,000 people were living at Thengumarahada village on the border of Nilgiris district. A path through the Moyar connected the village to other places like Sathy and Bavanisagar. While vehicles used a path to cross the river, villagers, of Kallampalayam, Allimayaru, etc. near Thengumarahada, used ferry services when water level in the river increased. During times of flood, the ferry services too were suspended, leaving the villagers stranded.
Owing to heavy rains in The Nilgiris in the past few days, there was a flood-like situation. Not only was transportation hit, water inundated the villages as well. On Monday, after the flood situation eased out, ferry services were back on track. With the water receding, vehicles started to cross the river too. However, when a jeep carrying over five passengers was attempting to get to the other side, it got caught in flash floods. Water entered into the jeep’s engine, stalling its movement.
After the passengers raised an alert, a few youth of the village came to their rescue. However, it took them three hours to push the jeep to the riverbank as water flow increased with time.According to sources, a lorry carrying ration goods had crossed the path before the jeep and did not face any incident. The villagers said that though they had been seeking for a bridge across the river linking Thengumarahada with Bavanisagar for many years, government had not taken any action.
Inspections
Erode: The risk of the Cauvery flooding due to the high discharge of water from the Mettur dam has lessened as the inflow into the dam has decreased, according to R Narmada Devi, PA (General) to Collector. However, the flood alert is still in force.