Amidst rain, commuters waiting for buses at Periyar bus stand in Madurai on Tuesday morning.
| Photo Credit:
G. MOORTHY
Madurai woke up to a continuous drizzle on Tuesday morning. The temperature hovered around 27 degree centigrade but humidity level was high at 85%.
On Monday also the sky remained overcast but thankfully the Rain Gods were merciful and the evening sky on Deepavali was lit up with various hues of pyrotechnics.
But by late Monday night, the drizzle had begun.
Gautam, a Corporation worker who mans the Girder Palam near Arapalayam, said that till Tuesday afternoon they had pumped out water five times. As a result waterlogging has been avoided at the stretch, leading to free flow of traffic.
A police head constable Palpandi of the traffic police stationed at Arapalayam said that they were expecting more crowd at the bus stands in the evening as people leave for their workplaces. Steps have been taken for more personnel to be stationed in these areas due to anticipated heavy traffic and rains later in the day.
Ramachandran, a mason from Melur, who was waiting at Arapalayam bus stand in the afternoon to take a bus to Coimbatore, said, “With the weather being unpredictable I decided to leave home early. Thankfully, right now the buses are free and I can reach my workplace without any difficulty.”
At Periyar bus stand right from 11 in the morning, there was a huge crowd with commuters huddled under umbrellas waiting for buses.
Rajkumar with his family was waiting to board a bus to Samayanallur. “I had come to my parent’s house for Deepavali and was planning to go home late in the evening. But due to forecast that more rain is expected, we decided to go home early,” he said.
On the outskirts too, it was a constant drizzle.
According to Ganesh from Tirumangalam, “there is no major waterlogging on the outskirts. As it was not a downpour, the ground has been able to absorb the water.” Kumar, a farmer from Alanganallur, has just completed transplantation of paddy seedlings. He is elated and hopes that this monsoon that has set in early will give him a bumper crop.
The well marked low pressure that was formed near South West Bay of Bengal brought in heavy rain and it intensified by noon. Again by evening, it had settled to a continuous heavy drizzle catching unawares those who had planned to leave for their workplaces in the evening.
One Meena, along with her two young children, was caught in the downpour. “I had come to my mother-in-law’s house for Deepavali and thought of leaving for Tiruchi in the evening. Now, I am caught at Mattuthavani bus stand. It’s raining and almost all buses are full. I am hoping to get a bus where there is seat at least for my children,” she says.
Rajendran, who is also there with his family to catch a bus to Tindivanam, is hoping that the government announces holidays for educational institutions tomorrow too as more rains have been predicted.
The civic authorities have started taking preparatory measures.
Collector K J Praveen Kumar, Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan along with other officials inspected various places.
Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan said that steps are being taken to mitigate any flooding. With the third flood alert having been issued as Vaigai dam is nearing full capacity, marriage halls near Vaigai river have been kept ready to accommodate residents from low-lying areas in case of flooding.
Similarly, areas that are prone to flooding and waterlogging had been identified and surveillance in these areas had been intensified, say corporation officials.
Till 6 a.m. on Tuesday Andipatti and Chittampatti had recorded 31.2 and 10.8 mm of rainfall.
Mr. Praveen Kumar at a press briefing on Tuesday evening said that the district from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. saw a rainfall of 48 mm. Kallindri witnessed a record of 70 mm rainfall.
Incidents of two wall collapses were recorded in the district but there were no casualties, he said.
The Collector said that 2,000 cusecs of water has been released from Vaigai dam and about 1,000 cusecs of surface runoff from the district was entering the river. People living near the river banks have been advised not to step into the river.
Within the Corporation limits, the administration has identified 15 areas and in the rural limits 12 areas as vulnerable and round-the-clock vigil was being kept, he added.
“As the depression is an evolving weather pattern, by late evening the rainfall has decreased and we hope to see a let-off in rain by Wednesday,” he added.
Published – October 21, 2025 09:09 pm IST
