In the wake of heavy rain on Friday night, eight residential areas, including Adhiparasakthi Nagar and Muthammal Colony in the town, were inundated again.
Seeking a permanent solution to the water-logging problem, a group of residents, mostly women, staged a road blockade for two hours on Ettayapuram Road on Saturday. They said that since a tank at Pandarampatti breached, the water entered residential areas and demanded removal of encroachments near the waterbody.
The agitators said that though water had been stagnating at Adhiparasakthi Nagar, Muthammal Colony and Om Shanthi Nagar for the past 10 days, the authorities did not take any effort to drain it. The foul-smelling water was proving to be a health hazard.
Their areas were experiencing frequent power cuts in the past 10 days, Arputhharaj of Rahmath Nagar, one of the agitators, said.
Their ward councillor Perumalthai did not even inspect the flooded localities, A. Siva of Adhiparasakthi Nagar said. Despite the rain forecast, no precautionary measure was taken to prevent flooding, he said.
Even five years after merging these areas that came under Sankaraperi village panchayat with Tuticorin Corporation, storm water drainage system and other basic civic infrastructure amenities were not in place, said L. Sundaram of Machathu Nagar.
Water-logging problem had been recurring at Muthammal Colony and Adhiparaskathi Nagar since 1990, but the authorities did not take any effort to provide a permanent solution, he said.
K. Krishnasamy, Ottapidaram MLA, inspected Adhiparasakthi Nagar and appealed to the Corporation authorities to start remedial measures at once.
District Revenue Officer S. Murugaiah, Corporation Commissioner R. Poongodi Arumaikan and Tuticorin Tahsildar S. Chandran pacified the agitators and assured that the stagnant water would be drained soon, following which they dispersed.
Squat on track
A temporary relief camp has been set up in a marriage hall where flood victims are accommodated.
As residents of Tuticorin railway staff quarters squatted on rail track seeking immediate action to drain stagnant rainwater, the departure of Guruvayur - Chennai Link Express got delayed by over two hours.
Rainfall recorded in mm: Kayalpattinam 75, Ottapidaram 60, Sattankulam 56, Srivaikuntam 58, Vanchi Maniyachchi 44, Tuticorin 32, Tiruchendur 43.70, Kayathar 12, Kulasekarapattinam 28, Kadambur 13, Kadalkudi 4, Kazhugumalai 13, Ettayapuram 1.50, Kovilpatti and Vilathikulam 1 each.
