Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in The Nilgiris district, leading to seven new landslips and the uprooting of 15 trees. This has severely disrupted daily life and road connectivity in the region. The relentless weather over the past 24 hours, ending at 7 a.m. on Monday, has also resulted in injuries to two men and a woman. These injuries were caused by rain-related incidents, including a tree fall.
District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru has announced the opening of four relief camps to aid those affected by the adverse weather. These camps, set up in schools and community halls, offer shelter to residents impacted by the rains, tree falls, or landslips. Among the relocated are 65 people, including tribal villagers from areas near Burliyar and Katteri. They were moved to St. Antony’s Higher Secondary School in Coonoor on Sunday evening as a safety measure against the threat of lightning strikes.
The district has been drenched with a total of 734.5 mm of rainfall, averaging 23.69 mm. Kinnakorai in Kundah taluk recorded the heaviest downpour at 110 mm, with Kotagiri not far behind at 68 mm. Other places like Burliar, Yedappalli, and Kodanadu reported moderate rainfall of 59 mm, 54 mm, and 42 mm respectively.
In light of the ongoing weather challenges, Ms. Tanneeru declared a holiday for all schools in Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Kotagiri, and Kundah taluks on Monday. She assured that residents' safety is the top priority, and the relief camps will stay operational for the coming days. Some residents have been making day trips back to their homes to tend to their livestock.
Infrastructure and Traffic Concerns
Officials from the National Highways Department, along with geotechnical experts, are currently evaluating the damage caused by landslips on the Mettupalayam-Udhagamandalam Road. Traffic between The Nilgiris and Coimbatore is being rerouted within Coimbatore district limits due to the unstable road conditions. Ms. Tanneeru stated that vehicular traffic will only resume once the road damage is stabilized.
This heavy rainfall follows an earlier deluge that led to 62 landslips when the district was hit with a cumulative total of 453.9 mm of rain in the previous 24-hour period ending on Sunday morning. This series of landslips and heavy rains has posed significant challenges for the district's infrastructure and emergency response teams.
