Even as a low pressure area now lying over the southwest Bay of Bengal is expected to bring more rains to the State till Friday, life in the coastal districts, especially Nagapattinam and Karaikal, was affected on Wednesday as the monsoon became vigorous.
For the second consecutive day, heavy rains lashed the coastal areas. A holiday was declared for schools in Karaikal in the Union Territory of Puducherry, reports received here said.
However, the rains were expected to decrease by the weekend, said S.R. Ramanan, Director of the Area Cyclone Warning Centre in Chennai. Isolated heavy rains were likely to continue in some parts of the State, but the chances “are slim” for the low pressure to intensify, he said.
Nagapattinam district has been bearing the brunt of the latest spell, with Mayiladuthurai, Thalaignayiru, Kollidam, Sirkazhi and Tharangambadi recording good rain. Paddy crop, raised on 1.05 lakh hectares in the district, face the risk of being inundated.
The rains are expected to benefit the tail-end and middle reaches of the Cauvery delta districts where nurseries have been transplanted. But wherever the samba paddy crop is 50-60 days old, water logging would make them vulnerable to pest attacks, farmers say. Salem and Namakkal districts also received fairly good rains in the last couple of days, and the water level in the Bhavani Sagar dam increased marginally to 85.28 feet.
Focus on clean waterFor the Directorate of Public Health, the focus is on ensuring clean drinking water to all, said Director of Public Health K. Kolandaisamy. “Apart from our mosquito control drive, we have a system in place to check for cases of fever,” he said.
