Flood wreaked havoc by triggering 720 breaches in 515 tanks in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi

Unprecedented rain in Tirunelveli & Thoothukudi causes over 720 breaches in 515 irrigation tanks; 200 engineers work to restore tanks & canals.

The recent unprecedented rain that pounded Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts has left a trail of destruction in the form of over 720 breaches of bunds in 515 irrigation tanks in the two districts.

Over 200 engineers of Water Resources Department, drawn from across Tamil Nadu , are working over-time to plug the breaches at the earliest to replenish the tanks from where major quantity of water had drained into the sea.

Engineer-in-Chief (WRD), A. Muthiah, said the average rainfall of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts is over 650 mm. “The districts had received 75% of their annual rainfall by December 15. However, on December 17, the two districts had recorded close to the annual rainfall,” he said.

Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi district alone had recorded 93 cm of rainfall, followed by Tiruchendur 67 cm, Srivaikuntam 61 cm and Thoothukudi 36 cm. Tirunelveli district too had recorded extremely heavy rainfall and reported an average of 36 cm of rainfall.

“With such a heavy downpour (in both the districts), which could happen once in 100 years, we assume Tamirabharani river had water flowing upto 2 lakh cusecs in Srivaikuntam (in Thoothukudi district) as against the maximum flood discharge capacity of 1.50 lakh cusecs of Srivaikuntam Anaicut (on December 18),” he said.

Water had flowed a few feet above the anicut.

Flash flood in Tamirabharani instead of flowing towards downstream flowed laterally and outflanked on both sides. This flow of flood water enlarging beyond the banks prevented the usual process of draining of rain water into the river and led to the deluge downstream Srivaikuntam, another engineer said.