T.N. Rains | As downpour pounds Virudhunagar, district administration gears up to face red alert

Heavy rains cause flooding in Virudhunagar district, 40 people evacuated to relief centres; district administration deploys boats for rescue.

Almost all the nine small dams and waterbodies are brimming with water following overnight heavy rains, in Virudhunagar district.

Virudhunagar Collector, V.P. Jayaseelan, told The Hindu that water is being released from all dams as a proactive measure.

As of Monday morning, around 40 people from low-lying areas have been evacuated to eight relief centres in the district. Food has been supplied to them.  The district administration 40 relief centres in each taluk.

A holiday had already been declared for schools and colleges as a precautionary measure.

Health officials have been asked to identify pregnant women, who are expecting their delivery in the next one week, and admit them in hospitals as a precautionary measure, the Collector said. Police personnel are being deployed at vulnerable areas. The Collector has advised people, especially children and youths, not to venture into waterbodies.

The district administration is also taking steps to bring boats from neighbouring Thoothukudi district as a precautionary measure in order to rescue people from marooned areas.

Virudhunagar district had received an average of 148.28 mm of rainfall from Sunday evening until 6 a.m. on Monday.