Flood alert sounded in Tamil Nadu's Madurai, Theni districts; 8,410 people in relief shelters

A flood alert has been issued in Madurai and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu as the people living on the edges of Bhavani and Cauvery have been urged to move to safer areas as three dams were opened and around two lakh cusecs of water was released.

Shelter camps in Tamil Nadu are filled by as many as 8,410 people following heavy inflow from Karnataka. Over 2.30 lakh cusecs from Amaravathi, Bhavani Sagar, and Mettur dams were released, officials said on Friday.

With the release of water, the inflow into the Mettur dam stood at 1.70 lakh cusecs on Friday.

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Now, a flood alert has been issued in Madurai and Theni district, following heavy inflow and discharge from the dams, Revenue Minister RB Udaya Kumar said.

An alert has been sounded in a total of 13 districts.

People in Karur district have been asked to move to shelter camps with around three lakh cusecs expected to be released on Saturday.

"The 30,000 cusecs per second of additional discharge totalling 2 lakh cusecs from Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini dams (in Karnataka) and combined discharge from dams, including Bhavani and Amaravati, is expected to be about three lakh cusecs which will reach Mayanur check dam tomorrow early morning," the minister told reporters.

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The ministers urged the people living along the banks to move to relief camps and cooperate with the officials.

As many as 8,410 people have been moved in a total of 96 relief camps in Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Erode, Namakkal, Kanyakumar and Dharmapuri.

Erode has the most people in 66 camps. The numbers stand at 5,875.

Inter-departmental teams are on stand-by while the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been deployed.

Standing crops in round 300 hectares have been destroyed due to floods in Cauvery and Bhavani rivers.