It is not often that the city’s residents have had such a cool entry into the scorching ‘Agni Nakshatram’ phase of summer. For, within days of the phase they have had rain bringing in the much needed cheer.
Starting Tuesday, the city’s residents also those in the district were treated to overcast skies that brought down the mercury level. By Tuesday afternoon, they experienced mild to moderate showers that further sent down the temperature.
As of Wednesday 8 a.m., Pollachi had recorded the maximum rainfall at 49 mm. Peelamedu Airport stood second at 29.50 mm and was closely followed by Sulur at 29.20 mm.
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University recorded 25.80 mm. And, Coimbatore South recorded 20 mm. The places that received poor rainfall included Valparai and Chinnakallar.
The rain led to inundation of subways in the city. Sources in the Corporation had to switch on the motors and keep them running overnight to pump out the waters to open the passages for traffic on Wednesday. Sources in the civic body said that they continued to run the motors as it rained on Wednesday as well. Motorists said that they had no problem in driving through the subways in Lanka Corner, Avinashi Road and North Coimbatore.
The Corporation sources said that few low lying areas in the South were inundated but that as temporary as the water drained within a couple of hours.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel said that there was no tree fall as there was no strong winds. There was no rescue call either.
The Wednesday’s rain forced people to remain indoors. The otherwise crowded Corporation Zoo and VOC Park saw fewer visitors.
Siruthuli volunteers said that they had begun cleaning a few roadside rainwater harvesting structures that were damaged in the recent road laying exercises.
Those at office buildings and schools were functioning well.
Udhagamandalam Special Correspondent adds:
A change in the weather, marked by continuous rain, has cheered up all sections in the Nilgiris.
The rain started on Tuesday evening and continued all through the night.
Many parts of the district, including Udhagamandalam and Coonoor, experienced a steady drizzle even on Wednesday.
Tourists were not allowed to hire pedal and row boats in the Ooty Lake. Those who were keen on a boat ride were taken in motor boats.
The crowd was not as heavy as it was in the past few days. The number of visitors dipped even at scenic spots like the Government Botanical Gardens.
Collector P. Sankar told The Hindu that trees were uprooted at Kodanad and Aruvankadu. The government machinery was put on alert. The local bodies were told to step up vigil, and the Tahsildars were instructed to use Short Message Services to keep the district administration informed of developments. Earthmovers were deployed to clear road blocks.
Railway sources said small trees had fallen on the track between Udhagamandalam and Coonoor. Consequently, the Coonoor-Udhagamandalam train suffered a delay in the morning.
