Heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu unleashed floods in several districts of Tamil Nadu including Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari districts. One person died in the Tuticorin district and the air force has been requested for help in relief operations.
In the Thoothukudi district in south Tamil Nadu, an entire road is submerged underwater and the India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to extreme rainfall in the state. The Thoothukudi bypass road is under knee-deep water and several trucks are stranded on the highway.
The unprecedented extremely heavy rainfall has flooded houses near the highway and the water, flowing at high speed, is moving down the slope of the road. Kayalpattinam, a city near Thoothukudi, recorded 95 cm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, which is more than the annual rain the small city receives.
Thiruchendur in the Tuticorin District witnessed 69 cm of rain in just 15 hours till 1:30 am. Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli District recorded 26 cm. Meanwhile, Kanyakumari saw 17.3 cm of rainfall.
A public holiday has been declared today in the affected districts due to the torrential rains. Schools, colleges, banks, private establishments and public sector firms will be shut.
Knee-to-waist-deep water submerged pockets of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Kanyakumari districts as water is released from Papanasam, Perunjani and Pechuparai dams. River Thamaraparani is in spate. The district collectors have been advised to ensure proper management of water in dams. A cyclonic circulation over the Comorin area is exacerbating the situation.
Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday deployed ministers and senior bureaucrats for relief and rescue operations, with a senior bureaucrat assigned to monitor each affected district. Mr Stalin also instructed District Collectors to keep relief centres and boats prepared in vulnerable areas and evacuate people early if required.
Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 50 members each have rushed to Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts, while three State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed in Kanyakumari district. Additional boats have been mobilised for regions such as Thoothukudi and the nearby towns of Srivaikundam and Kayalpattinam.
As many as 7,500 people were evacuated and housed in 84 relief camps. Through the Common Alert Protocol, SMS alerts were sent to 62 lakh people.
Southern Railway said traffic has been suspended in the Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur section, between Srivaikuntam and Seydunganallur, as 'the ballast' has been washed away and the track is 'hanging' and water is flowing over the railway tracks.
Several train services operated via the southern regions have been fully cancelled, some partially suspended and some trains have been diverted.
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