Four die across Tamil Nadu; Mettur almost full

CHENNAI: Heavy rain continued to pound the state on Monday, inundating several acres of paddy in Cauvery delta districts, filling Mettur dam close to its full level, and sparking landslides in the Western Ghats. Several low-lying areas were inundated.
Four people died in rain related incidents and more than 60 houses were damaged, said authorities.
As water level reached 118ft of the total120ft in Mettur reservoir, a flood alert was sounded for villages along the Cauvery river in 12 downstream districts. PWD officials have decided to release 30,000 cusecs from the dam once water level reaches 120ft.
The night-long rain caused landslides in the ghat section of Erode district as huge boulders and uprooted trees blocked the Bargur-Anthiyur ghat road on Monday, halting Tamil Nadu-Karnataka interstate traffic. A flood alert was sounded across villages near Bhavani river in Erode after the PWD released 8,000 cusecs of water from the dam on Monday evening In Tiruvarur district, farmers said 50,000 acres of paddy crops were affected by the rain and expressed fear of further damage if the rain continues. While fishermen continued to stay away from the sea, heavy showers continued in Kanyakumari and Tuticorin too.