Heavy rain wreaks havoc in Kanniyakumari; 26 houses damaged in gale, crops hit

Citing the heavy rain forecast, with strong winds up to 55 kmph in Bay of Bengal, for the Kanniyakumari district till May 28, the collector advised fishermen not to venture into the sea.
Commuters holding umbrellas get off a bus amidst the rains, in Kanyakumari district. (Representative Image)
Commuters holding umbrellas get off a bus amidst the rains, in Kanyakumari district. (Representative Image)Photo | PTI
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KANNIYAKUMARI/TIRUNELVELI/TENKASI: Heavy rainfall continued unabated across several southern districts of the state on Monday, with Balamore in Kanniyakumari recording the highest of 54.4 mm of rainfall.

While Tirunelveli district received an average rainfall of 15.13 mm, heavy rainfall was experienced in Papanasam and Manjolai areas, with light rain recorded at several areas across the district, according to a report from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

The Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) administration, citing heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats, restricted tourists from visiting and taking a bath in Manimuthar waterfalls of Ambasamudram forest range. Bathing restrictions were put in place at Thiruparappu falls in Kanniyakumari district.

Over the last few days, water levels in Perunchani and Pechiparai dams in Kanniyakumari district increased by 4 ft and 1.5 ft, respectively. On Monday, the water level at Pechiparai dam reached 36.94 ft (against its capacity of 48 ft), while Perunchani dam water level touched 40.05 ft compared to its 77 ft capacity.

In a press note on Monday, Kanniyakumari Collector R Alagumeena said that, over the last three days, a total of 26 houses have been damaged due to gale in Vilavancode, Thiruvattar, Thovalai and Kalkulam taluks. Across the district, fire and rescue services personnel have cleared 61 uprooted trees, she said. A total of 140 electric poles, out of the 181 damaged in the three days, have been replaced, she said, adding that works are underway to replace the rest.

Banana plants and rubber trees, nearly 22.59 hectares in aggregate, were damaged, the collector added.

Citing the heavy rain forecast, with strong winds up to 55 kmph in Bay of Bengal, for the Kanniyakumari district till May 28, the collector advised fishermen not to venture into the sea.

She also attended a consultative meeting over south-west monsoon preparedness on Monday. Kanniyakumari residents can register rain-related complaints over the phone using the toll-free number 1077 or 04652-231077.

Bathing banned in Manimuthar and Courtallam waterfalls

Tirunelveli/Tenkasi: Due to heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats, the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) administration has restricted tourists from visiting and taking bath in Manimuthar waterfalls of Ambasamudram forest range on Monday.

The KMTR administration said that the water inflow to the waterfalls had increased. According to the rainfall report issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, the district received an average of 15. 13 mm rainfall. In Tenkasi, the district administration banned bathing at Courtallam waterfalls due to huge inflow of water in its catchment areas.

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