Over 200 people evacuated in Nilgiris over heavy rains: Tamil Nadu govt

In view of heavy rains in the Nilgiris district, over 200 people have been evacuated and traffic has been restored on the Udhagamandalam-Gudalur national highway in the hills, the Tamil Nadu government said on Tuesday.

As many as 112 officials have been deployed in connection with the relief work in the Nilgiris which experienced 62.64 mm (average) rainfall on Monday, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister R B Udhayakumar said.

Referring to the heavy downpour in areas including Avalanchi, Dewala and Naduvattam and the fast filling Pilloor reservoir, he said a total of 227 people belonging to areas that witnessed flooding in Gudalur taluk have been safely sheltered in schools in the region.

"There was a landslide on a small scale in a village in Gudalur taluk and it (mudslides/debris removed) has now been set right...traffic on the Udhagamandalam-Gudalur national highway was affected due to a tree fall and the fallen tree has been removed and traffic restored," he told reporters here.

The Met department has forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts between August 4 and 8.

Meanwhile, a Coimbatore report said a flood alert was sounded to people living on the banks of Bhavani river in Mettupalayam in the district, to move to safe places, as surplus water was released from Pilloor dam.

As the water storage level stood at 97 feet, as against the capacity of 100 feet, over 20,000 cusecs of water is being released through four sluice gates to the river in anticipation of the level touching full capacity.

With heavy rains for the last two days in the catchment area and in the Nilgiris, the inflow into the dam was over 12,000 cusecs, the district Collector K Rajamani said.

In view of the flood threat, the people living on the banks were advised to move to safer places and cautioned not to venture into the river either for taking bath or washing clothes, he said in a release.

Meanwhile, Noyyal river in the city was also in spate, following good rains in the catchment areas of Kovai Kutralam, Chadiyaru, Narasipuram rivers, official sources said.

As the inflow increased in Noyyal river near Perur, ponds and lakes are filling up as water from Chithirachavadi check dam was released, they said.