Cyclone-induced rain lashes Vellore, nearby districts
The Hindu
Vellore
The districts of Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai have received continuous showers since Friday night due to the impact of Cyclone Mandous.
Areas such as Arakkonam, Sholinghur, Minnal and Pannapakkam in Ranipet, along the Palar, received good rain. Waterbodies in the district filled up quickly. As of 8.30 a.m. on Saturday, Minnal, a village near Arakkonam town, got the highest rainfall (197.80 mm).
“Relief and rescue work in affected areas, especially remote villages along the Palar, is being done. Adequate shelters have been set up to accommodate persons,” said D. Bhaskara Pandian, Ranipet Collector.
In Vellore, areas prone to waterlogging such as Sampath Nagar, Mango Mandi and Kansalpet, and low-lying areas got inundated again. Pernambut, Gudiyatham, Katpadi, Vellore Old Town, Bagayam and Sathuvachari got continuous showers. Along with Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar, Collector P. Kumaravel Pandian inspected the relief work. Advisory has been given by the district administration to residents against venturing into waterbodies. A ban on taking selfies near waterbodies is also in place.”
Of the four districts, Tiruvannamalai received the highest rainfall since Friday night, measuring 821.20 mm, followed by Ranipet with 369 mm. Vembakkam town in Tiruvannamalai received the highest rainfall, measuring 249 mm. In Tirupattur, Vaniyambadi received the highest rainfall (18 mm). Damages to crop and property were reported mostly in Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai. Banana was the most affected crop. A few electric poles and trees were damaged in Walajah, Nemili and Sholinghur in Ranipet. Farming villages in Cheyyar, Vandavasi and Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai were affected.
The four districts have a total of 4,167 waterbodies, including 1,119 minor irrigation tanks maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD) and ponds and lakes maintained by the Rural Development Department. Over half of them have reached full capacity.
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