Six persons, including five school students, were killed in rain-related incidents in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts in the last two days.

The administrations of both the districts have issued flood warnings following heavy flow of water in River South Pennar. A total of 113 huts were damaged in different parts of Krishnagiri district.

Students drown

Three government school students drowned in Irulapatti village near Pappireddipatti in Dharmapuri district while playing in the fields on Tuesday evening. K. Gokul (7), son of Kannan, Sakthivel (10), son of Varadaraj, and Praveenkumar (13), son of Boopathi, were playing on the rainy day. Gokul all of a sudden fell in a water filled pit dug for a government building construction work. The other two tried to rescue him, but all three drowned.

Electrocuted

P. Satishkumar (17), a plus two student of Solanur village near Pappireddipatti, was electrocuted while working in a private farm.

Sukanya (16), a class IX student and daughter of Sudesh of Gangadevanapalli village near Thenkanikottai in Krishnagiri district, drowned in a pond while taking back the cattle after grazing.

Flash floods

In Anjetti Kemparai village in Krishnagiri district, Sinnapappa, wife of Prabakaran, was proceeding along with her five-year-old son Koteeswaran and her father Velayutham, when all the three were washed away in flash floods in a jungle stream on Tuesday night. While Sinnapappa and Velayutham managed to escape, Koteeswaran was washed away. His body has not been retrieved.

P. Palaniappan, State Higher Education Minister, consoled the parents of Koteeswaran and the three students of Irulapatti village.

Flood warning

Due to incessant rainfall, the Kelavarapalli Dam received heavy inflow. Following this, the Krishnagiri district administration has issued a flood warning to the people of Pattakotta, Ramapuram, Azhiyayam villages.

The Krishnagiri Dam received 2,220 cusecs on Tuesday and is now brimming to its capacity.

The PWD authorities released 3,400 cusecs of water from the dam in River South Pennar and it was brought down to 2,855 cusecs on Wednesday morning.

Following this, District Collectors T. P. Rajesh (Krishnagiri) and K. Vivekanandan (Dharmapuri) issued flood warning urging the people living on the banks of the river to move to places of safety and not to cross the river at any point.

Pambaru Dam

The Pambaru dam in Krishnagiri district too was filling up fast and the Collector directed the PWD officials to set right the sluices to prevent leakage of water.

Rainfall level

The following are the rainfall level in Krishnagiri district till 8 a.m. on Wednesday: Parur 44.4 mm; Nedungal 37.6 mm; Krishnagiri 36.4 mm; Rayakottai 21 mm; Hosur 21mm; Thali 20 mm; Shoolagiri 19.1 mm; Thenkanikottai 15.1 mm; Pochampalli 15.4 mm; Perukondapuram 11.4 mm, and Uthangarai 7.2 mm.

Breach in tank

A major breach was reported in Theerthagirivalasu big tank situated on the Jawathumalai adivaram. Leakage was reported on Tuesday evening and Collector Rajesh directed the officials to close the breach with sand bags. Despite this, major breach took place inundating at least eight surrounding villages.

Minister Palaniappan, Collector Rajesh, Superintendent of Police Tirunavukkarasu, rushed to the villages and rescued 300 families. They have been lodged in a local school. Mr. Palaniappan later told presspersons that 47 lakes have filled up in Krishnagiri district.