Tamil Nadu: Flood warning issued to five districts as water-level rises in Vaigai dam

The Madurai district issued a flood warning to five Southern districts on downstream Vaigai dam as the water-level continued to rise in the river on Tuesday. The water level in the dam touched 66 feet, following heavy rainfall in the region. The full capacity of the dam is 71 and water levels reaching 66 feet on Tuesday evening caused widespread panic. The Vaigai river in Madurai has been overflowing since November and has disrupted normalcy in the city. Heavy rains coupled with the opening of the Vaigai dam resulted in the overflowing back on November 13 which further led to the closure of pedestrian and vehicular movement on two causeways - Obula Padithurai and Kalpalam bridge. People residing on the banks of the river in Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts have already been advised to move towards safer places. All activities near and in the river have been restricted and advisory has been issued against taking a bath or boating in the river. The Vaigai Dam is a very crucial dam in Mudarai, Tamil Nadu as it provides water for irrigation as well as drinking for Madurai and neighboring districts of Dindigul and Andipatti as well. 

Read:Madurai: Vaigai river continues to overflow for the third consecutive day

Mumbai to submerge by 2050?

On Tuesday, December 3, Union Minister, Harsh Vardhan addressed the Rajya Sabha and dismissed all reports regarding Mumbai getting submerged due to supposedly rising sea levels, asserting that there was no such threats. While addressing the Upper House on Tuesday, Minister of Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan urged MPs to trust the research of Indian scientists and their data which is "rated best in the entire world".

Recently UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had voiced deep concern over the rising level of oceans and listed India as one of the most vulnerable areas along with Japan, China, and Bangladesh. "From 1876 till 2005 average sea level rise in Mumbai is 0.74 mm. In coastal vulnerability maps, Mumbai has been not listed in threat zone. Accordingly, the sea level at Mumbai coast will increase by 33.3 mm or 3.33 cm from the current level in 2050, he said." said Union Minister Harsh Vardhan. 

Read:Union Minister Harsh Vardhan dismisses threats, says 'Mumbai will not submerge'

Read:Security tightened at Madurai's Meenakshi Amman temple after bomb threat