Srivaikuntam receives record rainfall, highest in TN
THOOTHUKUDI: With intense rainfall pounding the district on Sunday, Srivaikuntam of Thoothukudi received 479 mm, the highest rainfall ever recorded in the plains of Tamil Nadu. Such a huge amount of rainfall is possible only in the hill states.
For 15 hours from 6 am till 9 pm, Thoothukudi received an average of 163.97 mm rainfall, one of the highest ever recorded in the district.
At least 10 locations received more than 10 cm rainfall, with various residential areas, including those in Tiruchendur, Srivaikuntam, Sathankulam and Kovilpatti, getting inundated due to the extremely severe downpower.
Sources said waterlogging in main roads have disrupted traffic in various regions, and the water levels in irrigation tanks and kanmois, under the aegis of Public Works Department (PWD) and Union authorities, scaled up to the brim within a few hours.
Following heavy inflow of more than 15,000 cusecs of water into dams in Papanasam, Servalaru and Manimutharu in Tirunelveli, the Thoothukudi district collector has alerted people residing in low-lying areas to stay away from the course of the rivers.
Relief shelters have been opened in 97 locations along the Thamirabarani river between Kaliyavoor and Punnakayal.
By 9 pm on Sunday, extreme heavy rains were recorded in southern regions including Srivaikuntam (479 mm), Kayalpattinam (369 mm), Tiruchendur (360 mm), Sathankulam (328 mm) and Kovilpatti (223 mm).
While very heavy rainfalls registered at Kulasekarapattinam (199 mm), Kayathar (153 mm), Kadambur (155 mm) and Maniachi (183 mm), heavy rainfalls were recorded at Thoothukudi (68.40 mm), Kalugumalai (88 mm), Ettayapuram (77.60 mm), Vilathikulam (78 mm), Vaippar (74 mm), Surangudi (65 mm) and Ottapidaram (112 mm).
Whereas, moderate rainfall was witnessed in Kadalkudi (30 mm), Vedanatham (45 mm) and Keele Arasaradi (28 mm).
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded red alerts in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts on Monday. A holiday has also been declared for both schools and colleges in the district on Monday.
Tamil Nadu weatherman R Pradeep John,told TNIE, "This is an extraordinary rainfall to shower in the past hundred years to shower in the plains of southern districts".
The rains have surpassed the rainfall records of November 1992, which was previously considered the highest rain received in the century. The November 1992 rainfalls flooded the river Thamirabarani, following 965 mm of rains at Kakachi in Manjolai hills, where the river originates.
However, this 2023 rainfall caused by the cyclonic circulation is rather higher than any rains ever received in the plains in the state, he said, pointing to the state's highest record of Srivaikuntam receiving 48 cm in just 15 hours.
T Raja, another amateur weatherman said "The low pressure circulation remains lay centred, so the rain will continue. The rainfalls may exceed 50 cm in several places in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts", he added.
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