Amid fears of Kanmoi being violated, people struggled to protect their belongings as their homes flooded

– Madurai: Unprecedented rain bothered you maduraiEspecially on Friday evening, 4.5 cm of rain fell in just 15 minutes, leaving many parts of the city under huge waters.

While rainwater entered the settlements, knee-deep water caused distress to the citizens. Due to concerns that kanmois (traditional water sources) were being violated, people struggled to protect their belongings as their homes were flooded.

“All the Kanmoi are safe and flooded with water flowing into the Vaigai river. Madurai Corporation Commissioner C Dinesh Kumar said efforts are currently on to save the water.

“There were complaints of flooding in 12 under Zone 1 and 6 under Zone 2. I was there when it rained heavily in Sellur on Friday evening. Now the water has receded by one meter and we hope it will completely recede soon,” said Dinesh Kumar.

He added that the affected people were accommodated in four relief centers and given food, water and medicine. “Our workers and JCBs are on the job to clear the blockage and restore normalcy. All kanmoi and drains are intact and no damage has been reported,” Kumar said.

State Commercial Taxes Minister P Murthy and IT Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan visited the flood-affected areas and consoled the people. “Kanmois were originally built to save water for agriculture purposes and were connected to discharge into the Vaigai river,” Thiagarajan said.

The unprecedented rainfall on Friday alone resulted in 10 cm of rainfall. According to the report, as the rain intensified, 4.5 cm of rain fell in Madurai between 15:00 and 15:15 on October 25. India Meteorological Department. This led to waterlogging in many low-lying areas including Athikulam, BB Kulam, Mullai Nagar, Kadachanenthal, LBT Nagar, Tamukkam, Thallakulam, Azhagar Koil Salai, Goripalayam, Simmakkal, Nelpettai, Keelavasal and Yanaikkal bridge.

“There was no major loss as the management took preventive measures,” Murthy said. According to the Commissioner, the city has experienced continuous rain for the last 25 days and recorded 260 mm of rainfall, which is 60 mm above the average.

District Collector MS Sangeetha visited the rain-affected areas and took measures to speed up drainage works of stagnant rainwater. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin He spoke to the District Collector over phone and inquired about the relief measures taken by the district administration.