Following floods in Kerala and Karnataka, Tamil Nadu's Cauvery Delta region on the edge

With over two lakh cusecs flowing in Cauvery and Kollidam, breaches appearing in many villages; people moved to shelters in Muttuvanchari and Anaikudi; flood alert issued in many other places
The damaged pillar of the collective well due to gushing waters of Kollidam river in Tiruchy. (Photo | EPS/MK Ashok Kumar)
The damaged pillar of the collective well due to gushing waters of Kollidam river in Tiruchy. (Photo | EPS/MK Ashok Kumar)

ARIYALUR: Rain is battering Karnataka and Kerala, and the effects are beginning to trickle down thousands of miles away in the delta as a huge volume of water from Mettur, Amaravathi and Bhavani sagar dams is being discharged into the Cauvery and Kollidam.With over two lakh cusecs flowing in the rivers, breaches have started to appear in the Kollidam, On Friday, T. Palur and Tirumannur in Ariyalur were affected following a breach and officials had a tough time providing relief to the affected.

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A earth mover tries to remove undergrowth from a river in spate. (Photo | EPS)" />

The breaches were reported in Muttuvanchari and Anaikudi villages near Vikkiramanlingam, forcing evacuation of people to shelters. All residents of Anaikudi were accommodated at the government school in nearby Sripurandhan and Tahsildar Muthulakshmi was co-ordinating relief efforts. Chief Whip Tamarai S. Rajendran visited the affected areas.

Revenue officials in tandem with Fire and Rescue Services personnel used sandbags to plug the breach temporarily, but it remains to be seen whether they will withstand the force of water flow. Flood alert was issued in Sathambadi, Varappanangkurichi and surrounding villages.

Regulator shutter collapses

In Thanjavur, a damaged shutter of the regulator of an irrigation canal broke and water from Kollidam overflowed on to the streets of the Konthagai Thattumal village near Papanasam, inundating farmlands. P Manthrachalam, Project Director of District Rural Development Agency, said the gap in the regulator where the shutter caved in has been plugged using sandbags.

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