Rain in the Nilgiris have, so far, damaged 18 houses since June 1, said Tourism Minister K. Ramachandran here on Friday.
Mr. Ramachandran, who participated in a meeting reviewing preparedness as well as response to the effect of the heavy southwest monsoon rain in Gudalur, said the monsoon this year had been delayed by more than a month. “Usually, the southwest monsoon begins in early June, but was delayed by around a month this year,” he said.
The Minister, along with District Collector S.P. Amrith and monitoring officer for the Nilgiris T.N. Venkatesh, visited areas affected by minor landslips and homes of people that had been damaged by rain in Gudalur on Friday. They also visited Indira Nagar in Naduvattam, where trees in danger of falling were lopped by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, and slopes were strengthened with bags filled with sandbags along the National Highway that has recently been expanded.
The Minister also said four landslips had occurred since the rain started in earnest earlier this week.
Rain eased slightly across the district on Friday, but heavy rain continued to be reported in Gudalur, Devala, Upper Gudalur, Cherumulli, Padanthorai, O’Valley, Pandalur and Cherangode, with the last two places recording 83 and 96 mm of rainfall over a 24-hour period till Friday morning. Avalanche also witnessed heavy rain, with the district recording average rainfall of 28.97 mm.
Due to the heavy rain, the district administration announced leave for schools in Udhagamandalam, Kundah, Gudalur and Pandalur taluks for the second consecutive day.
