Rain lashes Tamil Nadu, schools closed

CHENNAI: Heavy rain lashed most parts of the state over the past 24 hours, throwing life out of gear and threatening to damage standing samba crops in delta districts.
The Nilgiris, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Trichy, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Madurai, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and Sivaganga experienced heavy rain.
Samba paddy fields in delta districts have been inundated. Though moderate rain can help the crop, continuous rain has inundated paddy and other crops, farmers lamented.
Tiruvarur collector T Anand has warned the public to be cautious while approaching water bodies and rivers and canals. The southern districts experienced one of the wettest days in recent times. A holiday was declared for schools in many districts.
A second flood warning was issued to people living near the low-lying regions of the Marudhanandhi reservoir in Dindigul district, as the inflow of 70 cusecs was being discharged into the river after the water level in the dam touched the 70ft mark against its maximum capacity of 74ft.
In Kanyakumari, many tourist services like boating to the Vivekanandar rock were suspended temporarily due to rough weather. Fishermen refrained from going for fishing.
With heavy rain lashing the Nilgiris, fear has gripped local people and the administration. Boulder fall on roads and a few landslips across the district have been reported. Over the past month, most parts of the district have been receiving moderate to heavy rain.
On Wednesday, a tiled roof house collapsed near Rohini Theatre in Ooty, injuring an 81-year-old man. Incessant rain caused a few landslips on the Coonoor-Kinnkorai road.
In another incident, huge boulders fell on the Coonoor-Manjoor road near Karumbalam. Traffic on the road was blocked for nearly two hours.
More rain is predicted for another two days in the Nilgiris. Southern Railway has suspended all rail services on the NMR track for four days from Wednesday. The NMR track suffered landslips between the Wellington and Aruvankadu stations. The Nilgiris collector J Innocent Divya said disaster management machinery was in place in the district to tackle any eventuality owing to the continuous rain. The northeast monsoon, started in Tamil Nadu on October 16 and many districts have been experiencing intermittent rainfall.