VILLUPURAM: A three-year-old government higher secondary school building is all that stands between 100 families and the fury of the Thenpennai river in Villupuram. After the sluice gates of the newly-constructed, Rs 25 crore-Thalavanur check dam collapsed, the river has now become a nightmare for the people residing on its banks, the run-off having heavily eroded the river bunds.
On Friday, the floodwater inched closer to the school, which faces the risk of collapse. If the school falls, 100 families living behind the building are at risk. A 40-year-old resident said, “Measures were taken by officials to prevent the run-off water from eroding the banks but in vain. No proper relief materials were provided. If the river breaches the banks, our village will be flooded. We have nowhere to go.”