TIRUNELVELI/TENKASI/THOOTHUKUDI/KANNIYAKUMARI: Three persons were killed in Tirunelveli district on Monday following unprecedented rain. Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi district administrations have declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Tuesday.
CM MK Stalin convened a video conference meeting from New Delhi with district collectors from Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi, along with ministers to assess flood damage.
From 8.30 am to 4 pm on Monday, Tirunelveli district received 2.4 cm average rainfall with Ambasamudram and Palayamkottai receiving 8.8 cm and 4.4 cm respectively. In the 24 hours ending 6 pm on Monday, 11 cm average rain was recorded in Kanniyakumari, while Mylaudy received 30 cm. Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi district received 95 cm rain in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Monday. Meanwhile, heavy rain led to breach in tanks across Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Thoothukudi districts.
Houses in urban and rural parts of Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Thoothukudi districts collapsed leaving people homeless. Helicopters have been used to rescue affected people. About 7,500 people in four districts were shifted to 84 relief camps. About 84 boats were used to rescue people in low-lying areas and more boats from fishermen villages are being brought in.
Main roads leading to Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Ambasamudram were also flooded. In some areas, bus services were terminated. Tirunelveli Collector KP Karthikeyan instructed health officials to bring pregnant women, due for delivery, to healthcare facilities. Power supply remained suspended in several places in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
The hill range of Bodimettu has been receiving heavy rain since Sunday evening. The water level in Vaigai dam has increased by three feet in a single day, and first-stage flood alert was issued on Monday. As storage in Mullaperiyar dam reached 136 ft, a warning was issued on Monday.
“Storage in waterbodies has crossed 70% and special teams have been deputed to assess the damage in Ramanathapuram,” said collector Vishnu Chandran after an inspection on Monday.
Four more ministers deployed, WhatsApp helpline opened
Chennai: CM MK Stalin deployed ministers EV Velu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, RS Rajakannappan and P Moorthy in addition to southern district ministers, to carry out relief work. Ministers KKSSR Ramachandran, Thangam Thenarasu, P Geetha Jeevan and Anitha R Radhakrishnan, T Mano Thangaraj and elected representatives including DMK’s Lok Sabha deputy floor leader Kanimozhi are already in the districts. The state has also introduced a dedicated WhatsApp helpline - 81485-39914 - for residents. The Whatsapp number apart, residents can also reach out to http://twitter.com/tn_rescuerelief, @tnsdma on Twitter, and Facebook id: @tnsdma. The government has urged volunteers and donors to contribute relief materials and essentials by calling 7397766651.
Thermal plant shut, faces serious loss
Chennai; Thoothukudi’s 1,050-MW coal-based thermal plant has been inundated bringing power generation to a halt. The plant, operational for four decades, is grappling with ageing machinery. A few years ago, unit 2 had ceased generation due to technical errors and has been waiting for spare parts for 18 months. A Tangedco official said, “Compared to the impact of Michaung, the power utility in southern regions, especially Thoothukudi, witnesses significant loss in infrastructure. A comprehensive report will be submitted to the government seeking funds for recovery.” A team led by Tangedco chairman and MD Rajesh Lakhoni left to Thoothukudi to evaluate the situation. Another senior official said, “Power generation in the Thoothukudi plant is expected to be stalled for the next 15 days.”
Tele-networks down in Thoothukudi
Chennai: The helpline numbers in Thoothukudi may not work as network is down since 3 pm on Monday. D Thamizhmani, chief general manager of BSNL Tamil Nadu circle, told TNIE the base transceiver station (BTS), a fixed radio transceiver in any mobile network, is down due to inundation. BTS connects mobile devices to the network. Thamizhmani said, “Usually, battery backup for BTS lasts for 12 hours. To ensure that BTS lasts longer, gensets have to be run. Since they were placed underground, the network got affected.” Department of Telecommunications in collaboration with NDMA was conducting a cell broadcast alert system testing to enhance emergency communication. Tests were conducted on October 20 in TN and Puducherry. But, trials were not done in hostile weather conditions.