Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu received 50 cm of rainfall, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena said. Several low-lying areas in the district are inundated with flood water. The Air Force has been deployed to carry out rescue and relief measures.
Addressing the media on Monday, December 18, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena said that Thoothukudi received a rainfall of 50 cm. He further informed that adequate boats have been acquired to carry out the relief operations in the district. “More boats will be drawn into service,” he said. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) forces have already been engaged in Tirunelveli district.
It was also informed that bus services to Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi might be restored by Monday night, depending on how much the water has receded.
Ten passenger trains enroute to Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli were stopped at Kovilpatti. Food and accommodation arrangements have been made for the stranded passengers, the Chief Secretary said.
Heavy rains have been lashing the southern districts of Tamil Nadu since Sunday under influence of a cyclonic circulation over the Indian Ocean and southwest Bay of Bengal off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Due to the heavy rain, a holiday was declared on Monday for the schools and colleges in Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Tenkasi. Several roads in these districts have been inundated, and more than 10 districts have received rainfall over 100 mm.