PALANISWAMI TOURS FLOOD-AFFECTED AREAS
CHENNAI: qamil Nadu Chief jinister bdapppadi K Palaniswami on Sunday toured flood-hit areas at Bhavani in brode and inspected the ongoing relief work.
Bhavani has been inundated by incessant rain in the past few days. Water has entered several residential areas and normal life has come to standstill.
Palaniswami visited flood-hit areas in Kumarapalayami Pallipalayam and Karungalpalayam, apart from Bhavani in the district. He later sat with government officials at the tourist bungalow for discussions.
He also interacted with villagers who wanted him to provide them with immediate assistance. qhe Cj promised immediate action.
Palaniswami later told the mediai “Following south-west monsoon, there is heavy flooding and dams are full in the state and neighbouring states. A total of O63 houses were damaged and 2,335 people have been taken to 67 relief camps.
“Children are given bread and milk, while women are provided with sanitary napkins at the camps. blectric supply has been provided with the help of generators. qoilet facilites are also provided at these camps.” He promised that permanent houses will be constructed for those who lost their homes in the flood.
Bhavani and its surroundings remained badly hit. In Namakkal and Salem districtsi people shifted from low-lying areas spent the seventh day in shelters. In Tiruchi, part of Kollidam bridge collapsed and was washed away in the Cauvery river basin on Saturday night. The bridge, that connects Srirangam with the mainlandi had developed a major crack due to the heavy flow of water, officials said.
Torrential rain continued to batter several districts of the state since the past week. qhe landslides and heavy rain have claimed six lives in the district since qhursdayi the Chief Minister’s Office said.
With the outflow from the Bhavanisagar dam falling to 20,000 cusecs on Saturday evening, a semblance of normalcy returned to Sathyi where houses had been submerged and fields with standing crop inundated.
The worst affected by the flooding of the Cauvery are the impoverished daily wage labourers who have built homes on the river’s banks in Pallipalayam and Kumarapalayam in Namakkal, and in Bhavani, Karungal and Kodumudi in brode.
The floodwaters have submerged vast tracts of coconut groves, and plantaini turmerici tapioca and groundnut farms, but the extent of damage is yet to be assessed.
In Salem, meanwhile, the inflow into the Mettur dam was around 1.80 lakh cusecs on Saturday evening and discharge was 1.95 lakh cusecs. At least 20,000 cusecs of water was also flowing through Bhavanisagar dam on the Bhavani in Erode.
A senior Public Works Department official said for the first time since the reservoir became full on August 11, the water level reduced a little on Saturday, to 119.93 feet from 120 feet.