Fire and Rescue Services personnel across the Nilgiris have been put on alert and are on duty round the clock to ensure that any natural calamities arising out of the continuing rain are dealt with, as another 1,050 mm of rain was recorded since Thursday morning.
In the last three days, more than 3,100 mm have fallen across the district, mostly in the Upper Bhavani, Avalanche, Naduvattam, G Bazaar and Devala areas.
Trees uprooted
S. Premanandan, Fire Station Officer (in-charge), Ooty Station, said that four trees were uprooted due to heavy winds and rainfall in Athikkal, and that fire services personnel spent the best part of the day clearing the roads. In the Ooty circle alone, 28 fire-fighters had been put on alert to deal with emergencies.
A major landslip occurred near Frog Hill near Gudalur, with heavy boulders rolling down the cliff-face and onto the road, blocking traffic along Udhagamandalam-Gudalur Road since Thursday morning.
Fortunately, the landslip occurred very early in the morning when there was little to no traffic along the stretch.
Reservoirs filled to capacity
S. Ragu, Superintending Engineer, Kundah Tangedco circle, said that the situation was becoming increasingly critical, with all the 10 major dams in the Nilgiris filled to capacity. “We are managing the situation as best we can, but any increase in the quantity of rain in the coming days could lead to problems,” said Mr. Ragu.
Power generation has also been stopped at the Geddai powerhouse after silt began clogging up the intakes of the powerhouse. Officials said that the silt was washed down from agricultural fields near the Avalanche area, and that power generation had been stopped for safety reasons.
