MAYILADUTHURAI: Having to bear the brunt whenever the Kollidam is in spate, the fisherfolk of Pazhaiyar in the district, which is at the river’s mouth, demand a structure in the Buckingham channel that runs along the village, to avert flooding.
The surge in flow in the Kollidam following the recent discharge of nearly 2 lakh cusecs from Mettur dam, drained into the sea near Pazhaiyar, which is located at the river’s mouth. The water rose as backwaters in Buckingham channel, a channel which runs along the village, on Tuesday.
This, in turn, inundated parts of the village. "Our fishing has been affected for the fifth time this year due to the Buckingham channel bearing the brunt of a Kollidam in spate. We demand a structure to prevent the backwaters from Kollidam from entering the channel," said K Arutchezhiyan, a boat owner in Pazhaiyar.
The district administration and the fisheries department have stopped fishing boats in Pazhaiyar from putting out to sea. The mechanised and motorised boats are usually berthed facing the Buckingham channel, and enter the sea through the adjoining estuaries.
Owing to the flow in the channel, officials have ruled out operation of boats through the estuaries. Meanwhile, those residing in lower ground such as Tsunami Nagar and Manmadha Nagar in Pazhaiyar have been moved to relief camps set up in schools. District Collector R Lalitha inspected the flooded village on Wednesday as later the relief camps. Officials told TNIE that the flooding by the Buckingham channel is being studied.