Irked by rainwater stagnating for nearly a week, residents continued their protests demanding immediate draining of the water as it has hit normal life in the port town.
Though there was no fresh spell of rain on Saturday, stagnant rainwater has made life miserable for residents of Chidambara Nagar, Bryant Nagar, Boltonpuram, Masilamanipuram, Housing Board Quarters, Anna Nagar, Tooveypuram, Muthammal Colony, State Bank Colony, KTC Nagar, Selvanayagapuram, Kurinji Nagar, Athiparasakthi Nagar, P and T Colony, Chinnakannupuram, Fatima Nagar, Muthiahpuram, Lourdhammalpuram, Poobalarayarpuram and St. Mary’s Colony.
Vehicular movement near Kamaraj College and Sivanthaakulam has been hit due to knee-deep stagnant water. A group of BJP cadres staged a protest by planting plantain saplings in the stagnant water near Agsar Paints Junction.
Residents of State Bank Colony, Muththammal Colony, Rahmath Nagar and Housing Board Quarters staged a road roko on the Ettaiyapuram Highway demanding proper draining of stagnant water while residents of Bryant Nagar 12th street also staged a similar agitation. The protests were withdrawn after the police and the Corporation officials promised to drain the rainwater at the earliest.
The Corporation personnel continue to pump out the stagnant rainwater even as the raised groundwater level due to the recent rains made their job tough.
“Since the groundwater level has come up after the rains in November and December, water stagnation was reported in more than 100 places where the Corporation fitted pumps to drain the water. Even as this work was completed and these slushy points started drying up, the unexpected rainfall has made our job tough. So we’ve deployed 144 pumps, 15 tanker lorries and eight heavy equipments to drain the stagnant rainwater at the earliest,” said V. P. Jayaseelan, Corporation Commissioner.
After the Korampallam tank overflowed, paddy and plantain cultivated in Aththimarappatti, Mullakkadu and Muthiahpuram area have been submerged.
As rainfall has almost stopped in Tirunelveli district, discharge of water from the dams has been reduced drastically. The Tamirabharani, which was carrying over 65,000 cusecs of water on Wednesday, received only 8,387 cusecs of water from the dams on Saturday.
A total of 21 houses have been fully damaged in the recent rains while 42 houses partly damaged. The relief centres now have 205 persons, including 76 women.
In Surandai area of Tenkasi district, three houses collapsed at Sivagurunathapuram,, Idaiyarthavanai and Duraisamypuram following recent rains. Revenue officials visited the damaged houses and surveyed the quantum of damage.
