Theni serves as a catchment area for dams and reservoirs in down south and is a buffer zone for TN rainforests
A bridge connecting Poonamallee high road and Rail Nagar in Koyambedu collapsed due to excess flow of water due to the incessant rains over the last few days. (Photo: E.K. Sanjay)
Chennai: While most parts of the state received excess rainfall, Theni district that borders Western Ghats has received below normal rainfall this monsoon. Interestingly, Theni serves as a catchment area for dams and reservoirs in down south and is a buffer zone for TN rainforests. Similarly Nilgiris district, which is a major catchment area for western Tamil Nadu had also received deficit rainfall in the past 10 days, said weather department and forest department sources.
According to regional meteorological centre sources, Tamil Nadu for the last three years from 2012 has been receiving only deficit northeast monsoon. And in 2013, the deficit peaked up to 33 per cent.
This season (from October 1 to November 18) the entire state received 32 per cent excess rain, but Theni, Sivagangai and Madurai districts during the period has recorded normal or less than normal rainfall.
Theni in the past 50 days received 22 per cent deficit rainfall. Similarly Nilgiris with more than 65 per cent forest cover recorded deficit of 22 per cent rainfall in the past ten days.
A forest official based in Theni said that the district supports 33 per cent of forest with 48 reserve forests and is a major source for Megamalai wildlife division, Suruli falls and Vaigai river. “This season the district and its catchment has not recorded excess rainfall and this means the rivulets in southern-western belt will not spate like Palar, Adyar and Cheyyar rivers endemic to northern Tamil Nadu. However the monsoon is not yet over and if there are more rains in Kerala, Theni will naturally enjoy the surplus from the neighboring district benefiting irrigation in Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts”, the official explained.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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