MADURAI: Heavy downpour brought to a close the dog days of summer (Agni Natchathiram) in Madurai district on Sunday. Sporadic rainfall throughout May helped keep the temperature below 40 degrees Celsius, and the district received an average of 61 mm rainfall during the month.
The agni natchathiram, which commenced on May 4 this year and lasted till May 28, was bearable on most days owing to the moderate wind flow and sporadic rainfall. With the India Meteorological Department announcing the arrival of the southwest monsoon in Kerala on Sunday, Tamil Nadu too is expected to witness moderate rainfall till June 2.
On Saturday, the district witnessed 17.84 mm of rainfall (7 cm in Tallakulam, 6 cm in Kalligudi and 5 cm in Mettupatti), and the sporadic rainfall also continued in Madurai the next day. "The rains have hugely saved us from the scorching summer. Only on a very few days, the temperature soars above 39 degrees Celsius," said Anbarasan, a resident of Madurai. Farmers who had taken up summer cultivation also faced no hassles over irrigation due to the rains.
However, the showers again brought to the fore the inadequate drainage facilities in several parts of the city. Some roads and public spaces faced water stagnation for the better part of the month.
The city corporation also failed to clear drainage lines in several places, especially the collectorate and the road adjacent to the Vaigai river near AV bridge, on time. Activists and city residents have the civic body authorities to take urgent steps to fix the water drainage issues.