The torrential rain which lashed the State on Sunday wreaked havoc in the tribal hamlet of Attappady, a rain-shadow region which has received scanty rainfall since the onset of this southwest monsoon. The heavy downpour which began late on Saturday night caused widespread damage, including landslides and waterlogging.
In one of the heaviest rainfalls in the past one decade, the whole hill region, which forms part of the Mannarkad taluk, remains almost cut off from the rest of the State. Incessant downpour triggered landslip at Anakkara, Thottiyakara, Puthur, and Jellippara early on Sunday morning and 10 houses were partially destroyed.
At Odappetti, near Jellippara, a nine-year-old girl drowned in a water-filled pit. The pit was dug for building a toilet. The girl, Athira, was a Class III student.
Isolated
With water level in the east-flowing Bhavani raising steadily, Irattavay and Lower Bhuthayar villages on the banks became isolated. Four goats of Mamman of Anakallu were killed in a landslide. Two motorcycles were submerged in flashfloods at Jellipara.
Traffic disrupted
Forty families have been shifted to temporary relief centres. The road traffic between Mannarkkad and Coimbatore has been disrupted due to landslips and fallen trees. Traffic through the area is being regulated now. The district administration has opened control rooms at Palakkad and Mannarkkad. Call: 0491-2505307 and 04924-222397.
