The state has received an average rainfall of 133.6 mm between January 1 and January 15.
Amid lukewarm Pongal celebrations across the state due to the pandemic, Tamil Nadu continues to live through one of the wettest Januaries ever. If one goes by the data available with the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, the state has received 1072% more rainfall than what it usually receives during January.
Tamil Nadu, on an average, receives around 11.4 mm rainfall for the period between January 1 and January 15. However, based on the data of actual rainfall received across the state, Tamil Nadu has received an average rainfall of 133.6 mm for the 15 days starting January 1. Among the districts in Tamil Nadu, Tiruppur has recorded almost 2000% more rainfall than normal rainfall during this period, receiving 102.8 mm of rainfall as against the normal average rainfall of 4.9 mm during January. Similarly, Karur district has recorded 108.3 mm of rainfall as against the normal average rainfall of 6 mm in January.
The Cauvery delta districts and southern Tamil Nadu have been receiving heavy rainfall over the past week leading to several dams reaching their full reservoir levels. Thiruvarur district recorded 354.5 mm rainfall between January 1 and January 15 while Tirunelveli district received 354.4 mm of rainfall in the same period. Nagapattinam district received around 290 mm of rainfall and Cuddalore district received 281 mm of rainfall in the same period. Thanjavur district received 259.5 mm of rainfall from January 1 to January 15. Ramanathapuram district received 222.4 mm of rainfall.
According to private weather blogger Pradeep John, who goes by the name Tamil Nadu Weatherman on social media, Tirunelveli’s 317.5 mm till January 14 is the highest rainfall recorded in the district in the month of January in 120 years. Similarly, Thoothukudi’s 123.7 mm rainfall till January 14 is the eighth highest recorded in the rainfall history of 120 years in the district. Cuddalore district’s rainfall till January 14 is the second highest January-rains in the last 120 years and in Thiruvarur district, the amount of rainfall recorded in the period is second highest in the last 120 years.
Normal life disrupted in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi
Social media, meanwhile, is filled with videos and pictures of river Thamirabarani in Tirunelveli flowing in its full majesty since the last three days. Speaking to TNM, V Vishnu, the District Collector of Tirunelveli said that the last time the river flowed to its brim was reportedly in 1992. “The carrying capacity of Thamirabarani is about 60,000 cusecs and as of today, it has come down to 22,000 cusecs. We evacuated 721 people beforehand and sent them to shelters before releasing water from Papanasam and Manimuthaaru dams and hence there are no lives lost. The district has 26 shelters that are functional currently,” he added. Most of the people who were evacuated have moved to their relatives’ houses due to the Pongal festival, he said.
Meanwhile, in Thoothukudi, several areas inside the town limits reported inundation due to them being located in a lower gradient level. K Senthilraj, the District Collector of Thoothukudi told TNM that no damage to lives or livestock has been reported in the district. “We have evacuated around 1,500 people from the riverbank and housed them in shelters. There is no life damage or serious property damage. Inundation has been reported along the banks of the river,” he said. Adding that of the 60 wards in the town limits, seven wards are below mean sea level, Senthilraj said, “There is no proper gradient for the water to flow out. We have engaged around 175 water pumps to pump out the water and around 35 water tanker lorries also to suck out the water and take it to the ocean. We have roped in 20 excavators too to clear out blockages in the path of water.”
Dam levels
Tirunelveli district has two big dams — Manimuthaaru and Papanasam and four smaller ones and Thoothukudi has two check dams — Srivaikundam and Marudhur.
As of 1 pm on Friday, Manimuthaaru dam is filled at its full reservoir level of 118 ft and Papanasam is filled up to 142.2 ft as against its full reservoir level of 143 ft. The combined outflow from both these dams into Thamirabarani is around 19,000 cusecs as at 1 pm on Friday.
“We stationed more people at the point where water enters these two dams and monitored the inflow level hourly. That is how we were able to evacuate people on time. This level of rain is unprecedented and is a one-off event,” Vishnu added.
In Thoothukudi, the water inflow has reduced from 80,000 cusecs combined into both the check-dams to around 45,000 cusecs as at 1 pm on Friday.
Crop damage
In Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts, the major crops cultivated are paddy and banana. Agricultural fields along the Thamirabarani in both the districts have been inundated due to the river overflowing its banks.
“We are in touch with the agriculture experts. They have told us that paddy crops can be revived if the water recedes in 3-5 days. We are waiting for it to happen. Only if the water goes down, we can assess the damage to crops here,” Senthilraj said.
Source: The News Minute