The Nilgiris District Collector, Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, inspected the Boat House Road adjoining the Udhagamandalam Railway Station after a brief spell of heavy rain led to the area becoming waterlogged on Monday and Tuesday.
According to the district administration, Udhagamandalam town received around 58 mm of rainfall till Tuesday morning. The Collector, following her inspection, said that waterlogging had been reported along the Boat House Road, Karnataka Garden and Fingerpost, and that immediate work was undertaken to drain the areas.
She said that the flooded areas were quickly cleared of standing water soon after the rains stopped, except at the railway station and under the railway bridge that spans the Kodappamund Channel and Boat House Road. The Collector said that the bridge was extremely old and that the design of the road infrastructure underneath it leads to inundation. Steps were being taken to permanently fix a motor system that can pump out water from the bridge following spells of heavy rain in the future.
As a precautionary measure, the Boat House Road in Udhagamandalam was closed following stagnation of rainwater under the railway bridge. | Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M
She added that earth movers, pumps and equipment for clearing blocked drains and tree cutting are kept ready to deal with any emergencies arising from rains during the Northeast monsoon. The Collector also said that further dredging of the Ooty Lake is to take place at a cost of ₹2.5 crore.
Ms. Tanneeru said that dredging works had already been undertaken two years ago at a cost of ₹7.51 crore, but water hyacinth had taken over a large part of the lake. The hyacinth will be removed when dredging works restart from Thursday onwards.
She also appealed to the public to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel during spells of heavy rain, that can increase risks of trees becoming uprooted and power lines getting snapped.
