Normal life was disrupted in Manapparai as a sudden and heavy downpour pounded the town, situated about 40 km away from here, on Monday morning.
The heavy rain flooded several parts of the town, including bus stand, taking residents by complete surprise. Many students were caught in the rain and beat a hasty retreat to their homes after a holiday was declared for schools. Buses were forced to halt and operate away from the bus stand.
With rainfall of 274.6 mm for three hours in the morning from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. recorded, Collector S. Sivarasu issued a flood warning for residential areas along the Ariyar and the Koraiyar rivers.
The bus stand was among the worst affected, with knee-deep water, forcing school children to wade through it to go to school. Many slipped and fell, onlookers said.
According to sources, Manapparai Kulam and Karikalan Kulam overflowed inundating residential areas, including Indira Nagar, MGR Nagar, Manapparai-Viralimalai Road. Rajiv Nagar, located near Appu Ayyar Kulam, was the worst affected. The tank bund gave away close to the spot where a breach occurred some days ago following an earlier wet spell.
Residents of MGR Nagar and shopkeepers near the bus stand staged a road roko demanding immediate action as there were no proper drainage channels for the water to drain out. Fire and Rescue Services personnel used coracles to ferry the public for a few hours. Police officials pacified the crowd as officials of the civic body began work to pump out the water.
Buses that usually stopped at the bus stand were forced to halt on Tiruchi road, Madurai road, Dindigul road and Kovilpatti road, from where passengers boarded and alighted them through the day.
Mr. Sivarasu visited the affected areas in Manapparai and instructed officials to make arrangements for relief swiftly.
Meanwhile, the rainwater from Manapparai, which flowed through the Ariyar and into the Koraiyar in Tiruchi, inundated residential areas in the city before joining the Cauvery through the Kudamuritti canal.
Speaking to The Hindu , Ramesh Kumar, a teacher at Panchayat Union Middle School, Pirattiyur, where water inundated many homes, said they had decided to throw the gates of the school open to the public to take shelter. “With the water level continuing to rise, many of the homes of our students may become inundated by night. They can take shelter at the school.”
