Amid ongoing flood problems in the state, the Tirunelveli district administration on Saturday opened three sluice gates and released 1,000 cubic feet of additional water from the Manimuthar dam in Tirunelveli.
Manimuthar Dam in Tirunelveli has a total capacity of 5,511 million cubic feet while its maximum storage capacity is 118 feet. The dam reached its full capacity last night due to which the authorities released water from the Manimuthar Dam into the Thamirabaran River.
Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanyakumari have experienced major issues due to the constant heavy rainfall in the state areas from the last few days. So far, around 35 deaths have been reported due to the flooding. Thoothukudi accounted for 22 deaths while Tirunelveli reported 13 fatalities.
The state government and centre have executed a rescue operation to help the affected people. MI-17 V5 chopper and ALH-Dhruv copter of the Indian Air Force air-dropped more than 11 tons of relief material in 12 flood-affected regions of Thoothukudi. As told by the Southern Air Command of the IAF, 59 tons of relief material have been air-dropped in the areas affected by the heavy rainfall.
Shiv Das Meena, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary confirmed that the rescue operation has been completed and now the focus is on the restoration of basic services. Communication lines and networks are still in disarray in the aftermath of the flood. Roads and railways were submerged due to incessant rain in the state. Schools and colleges in Thoothukudi district declared a holiday on Thursday after heavy rains continued in several districts of South Tamil Nadu, creating a flood situation and uprooting lives.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin informed that the government has taken all the necessary precautions to help the affected people. CM Stalin said, “There’s been heavy and continuous rainfall in Chennai and surrounding districts. Historically, the Thoothukudi district has never seen this much rainfall. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for rescue and relief operations.”