Heavy Rain lashes Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts

MADURAI/RAMANATHAPURAM:  Normal life was thrown out of gear as heavy rain lashed Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts in the wee hours of Sunday. Sporadic rainfall continued and several areas in both districts recorded over 50 mm of rainfall. Rameswaram temple premises got inundated and this caused severe hardship to devotees who thronged the place of worship on Sunday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a low-pressure area that formed in the southwest Bay of Bengal has been triggering widespread rainfall in the State. An average of 17.4 mm of rainfall was reported in Madurai, while Ramanathapuram district recorded an average rainfall of 32.06 mm. Rameswaram region has reported the highest average of 70 mm rainfall. Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast heavy rainfall for several districts for the next couple of days too.

The torrential downpour lasted over two hours early Sunday morning and proved a nightmare for commuters. A slurry of rainwater and mud enveloped several parts of roads in areas, including Keelavasal, Vilakkuthun and Therku Vasal. Being Sunday, huge crowds had thronged Rameswaram temple and they struggled to wade through the waterlogged premises. The temple authorities brought in motors to pump out the water.

Meanwhile, agriculture department officials expressed hope that the rains could solve the irrigation woes of farmers who have just commenced samba cultivation in the district. "However, the maturing Kuruvai crops and harvest-ready horticulture produce are slightly at risk. As the monsoon is upon us, farmers must take precautionary measures to prevent damage to crops. Block-level officials are monitoring the situation," they added.

With sporadic rainfall being reported across the State, the arrival of vegetables at the Madurai market has been slightly affected, said Madurai Central Market Traders Association President Chinnamayan. "As the festival season is also nearing, the prices of vegetables slightly increased on Sunday. Notably, the price of shallots of carrots surged from Rs 60 to Rs 90 and Rs 60 to Rs 80 per kg respectively," he said.

Residents in Madurai have urged the corporation authorities to urgently take up measures to tackle the monsoon. "Most of the roadside drains are clogged and due to this rainwater mixed with silt easily stagnates on roads. This is the situation even on the AV Bridge. Commuters are facing much trouble owing to the waterlogging of roads," said M Pradeep Kumar, a resident.