Chennai: The northeast monsoon intensified across Tamil Nadu on Friday, bringing heavy rain to western and southern districts, improving reservoir inflows and exposing low-lying areas to waterlogging. Cauvery delta districts too received sporadic rain, but farmers said the showers were inadequate to sustain samba paddy crops. India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued heavy rain warnings for several districts, including Theni, Tenkasi and Tirunelveli, in the coming days, while an orange alert has been sounded for Coimbatore and Nilgiris.In southern Tamil Nadu, Theni district received a heavy spell, with Periyakulam recording 147mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending Friday morning, followed by Vaigai dam (124mm) and Andipatti (102mm). People were warned against bathing in river Vaigai or venturing close to the banks due to the possibility of sudden flooding. Waterfalls in the region were closed for tourists. While residents were advised to move livestock to safer locations, teams have been deployed to monitor 43 flood-vulnerable locations in Madurai.Govt officials said inflow into Vaigai reached 400 cusecs, steadily increasing the water level in the reservoir to 43.24ft against its full level of 71ft. IMD forecast isolated heavy rain in Theni and Madurai on Friday and Saturday.Coimbatore got widespread rain from Thursday evening, which continued on Friday too. Pollachi recorded the district’s highest rainfall at 153mm, followed by Podanur with 90.6mm. The prolonged showers, accompanied by strong winds, resulted in waterlogging on major roads, which in turn resulted in traffic congestion in several stretches across Coimbatore.“After nearly one and a half years, the entirety of the Kongu belt, including Coimbatore city, has received very heavy rain,” said weather observer Santhosh Krishnan. Several parts of Western Ghats got heavy showers. The downpour also improved the water level in Parambikulam, Aliyar, Thirumoorthy and Amaravathi dams.The Cauvery delta region, however, received only moderate rainfall. Except for places such as Pattukottai, Budalur and Thiruvidaimaruthur which received light rainfall, Thanjavur district remained dry. Neighbouring Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai recorded modest showers. Farmers say they are expecting a better spell of rains in the coming days.In Trichy, rain on Thursday night flooded several major roads and low-lying areas. Although the water receded by Friday morning, waterlogged bus routes and power cuts inconvenienced commuters, exposing civic infrastructure gaps at the start of the monsoon.
