THOOTHUKUDI: Heavy rainfall, triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, lashed the district for the second consecutive day on Saturday, throwing life out of gear for a majority of the residents. The minimum temperature dropped as low as 19 degree Celsius on Saturday.
For the 24 hours till Saturday morning, the district registered an average rainfall of 29 mm, and the showers continued unabated throughout the day, inundating several residential areas.
Though water stagnation on main thoroughfares and arterial roads was cleared automatically in a few hours, the residential areas lacking stormwater drains remained in knee-deep water. Thoothukudi Corporation Mayor Jegan Periyasamy said,
"Over 44 electric motors have been placed in the north and west zones of the corporation to drain stagnant water," adding that the draining process takes more time due to the heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, waterlogging has turned into a persistent issue for the residents of West Kamrajar Nagar, Mathanagar, Thalamuthunagar, Chottaiyanthoppu, Poopandiyapuram, KVK Nagar, Muniyasamypuram in Mapilaiyoorani panchayat, located adjacent to the Thoothukudi Corporation, since November 23.
"The continuous water stagnation has triggered a fever outbreak among the residents of various hamlets in Mapilaiyoorani," said Ramalakshmi from West Kamarajar Nagar. "Over 12 motor pumps have been kept in Mapilaiyoorani village and the dewatering process is underway. Water springs up despite draining due to high groundwater level," said Ottapidaram MLA MC Shanmugaiah.
On Saturday, Thamirabarani river flowed in full spate, releasing at least 25,000 cusecs of floodwater into the Gulf of Mannar at Punnakayal. In Tiruchendur, the seawater receded more than 100 ft near the shores of Tiruchendur Murugan temple.
Flight services to Chennai and Bengaluru from the Thoothukudi airport in Vagaikulam were suspended on Saturday, as the runway was inundated. However, the services would resume on Sunday, said an official from the Airports Authority of India.
In the wake of the cyclonic warning, at least 4,000 country boats and 500 mechanised fishing vessels remained anchored along the shore. A fisherman said, "Due to weather warnings, we have been staying on the shore for over six days, which has severely affected our livelihood."
Meanwhile, the flood waters released into the flood carrier of the Thamirabarani-Nambuyar-Karumeni rivers interlinking project reached Salaipudur tank in Sathankulam. The farmers of South Sathankulam region welcomed as water reached the tank.