TIRUCHY: Residents of Tamil Nadu continue to live in dread as downpours continue to lash the State. Life has been especially difficult for thousands of tribals Pachamalai hills in Tiruchy district as they faced seven sudden landslides over the past two days.
A 17-km stretch between Sobanapuram and Top Sengatupatti is a crucial link road for tribals living in 32 villages atop Pachamalai. Even as residents have been suffering due to poor quality roads for several years, the recent rains have brought in new worries of landslides. The bus service was temporarily halted as maintenance work is underway to clear debris. “We are risking our life every time while going down the hills and climbing up. We hope the Forest Department and district administration find a solution to the long-pending issue before any fatality occurs,” Kumaran, a resident of Top Sengattupatti, said.
Tiruchy city, too, faced the brunt of the rains as fire and rescue personnel, in a day, rescued 68 people stranded in their houses after water inundated their residential areas. Several residents were unable to move out of their houses as their areas were surrounded hip-level water. Anna Science Centre Planetarium in the district remained closed even on Saturday owing to waterlogging.
Meanwhile, residents of Nagercoil district heaved a sigh of relief as the torrential rains receded on Saturday. The district received an average rainfall of 23.09 mm within 24 hours till Saturday morning. However, 13 houses in Vilavancode taluk, and nine in Kalkulam taluk were partially damaged in the rains.
Farmers in Thoothukudi continue to rue that the downpours ruined their crops for the second time in 2021. At least 1.4 lakh hectares of crops, including green gram, black gram, onion, maize, cotton and chilly, were damaged. With the rains filling water bodies to the brim, water could not drain. Over 90 percent of fields are underwater now due to continuous rainfalls in the month of November, according to farmers in the district.
PHC compound wall collapses
Tiruchy: Following heavy rain in Tamil Nadu over the last few days, a part of the compound wall of Top Sengattupatti Primary Health Centre in Tiruchy district collapsed. The wall, sources said, was built only three years ago, and the residents have urged the revenue adminstration to immediately repair the wall
(With inputs from Thoothukudi & Nagercoil)