Prevent rainwater from entering houses: residents

DINDIGUL

M. Sivakumar, a resident of Chinnapallapatti Colony near Paraipatti peitioned the Collector S. Visakan to prevent rainwater from entering their houses during the weekly grievances redressal meet held at Collectorate on Monday.

“The recent rains have led to rainwater entering into forty houses of Chinnapallapatti where residents have to live with the fear of snakes and insects affecting normal life. The forest officials even caught a cobra inside a house around 1 a.m. on Monday,” he said.

“The seeping of rainwater to the houses in the area is due to the channel that has been obstructed by encroachment of a private steel company that was established five years back,” noted Mr Sivakumar.

He added that the heavy inundation would last for days before draining out. The channels were desilted last year after petitioning the Collector only to be blocked by the private party putting the life of so many residents at stake, the petitioners charged.

The Block Development Officer upon the directions of the Collector assured the residents to look into the issue, said the petitioners.

According to the district administration’s rainfall data for the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. on Monday, Dindigul received 84.2 mm of rainfall. The district received an average rainfall of 18.5 mm in this period.