Monsoon claims five, paralyses life in TN

Heavy rains influenced by the south-west monsoon continue to batter Tamil Nadu for the past two days, killing five people and paralysing normal life across the state.

The state’s reservoirs are also receiving significant water inflow as a result of the south-west monsoon that remains active over the southern region.

Almost all the districts, including Chennai, experienced heavy rains as the Met department forecast further rains in the next two days.

Ponneri in Tiruvallur district registered the heaviest rains of 11 cm in the last 24 hours, followed by Kaveripakkam in Vellore district that recorded 9 cm rains.

Two died in Dharmapuri district due to electrocution, a woman in Tiruvanamalai district lost her life to thunder strike and two more died in Karur in wall collapse as the death toll reached five since monsoon rains intensified.

"Under the influence of the South-west monsoon, isolated heavy rain will occur all over Tamil Nadu, especially over the state’s coastal region in the next 48 hours", Met department sources here said on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, water level in Mettur’s Stanley reservoir crossed the 90 feet mark, thanks to the heavy inflow from neighbouring Karnataka. The reservoir remains lifeline for the Cauvery delta farmers in Tamil Nadu.  “Inflow in Mettur dam increased in the last few days due to heavy rains in Karnataka. Water level at the reservoir as on Friday morning is 92.2 feet and is expected to cross 100 feet in the next few days against its total capacity of 120 feet,” a senior PWD-water resources organisation official said here.

“If the flow continues at this pace for the next 48 hours, the storage would even go past 100 feet and we will be able to release water for the delta farmers,” the official added.

Water inflow is significant in several reservoirs located on or near the Western Ghats such as Mullaperiyar, Vaigai, Sholayar and Aliyar, while storage in Manimuthar dam across Tamirabarani river in Tirunelveli is also witnessing a steady rise.


Inflow in other reservoirs in the southern region such as Bhavanisagar, Papanasam, Sholayar and Parambikulam has also increased in the last couple of days.

Though Chennai and its suburbs witnessed downpours especially during night, storage in the main sources of drinking water supply to the city such as Poondi, Sholavaram, Redhills, Chembarampakkam and Veeranam remain lower compared to last year’s levels.