The unprecedented flood in Tamirabharani river that has left a trial of destructions has badly damaged a causeway across the river connecting Melanatham with Karuppanthurai in Tirunelveli city.
The causeway has been providing a major link for residential areas along one side of the river with that of the other for more than four decades.
Over one lakh cusecs of water that flowed in the river and it even went over the high-level bridge of the North By-pass Road for two days.
As the rain subsided and water receded, the residents, who were forced to remain indoors since Sunday, were shocked to find the causeway damaged by the fury of nature.
The causeway has been a bus route and even heavy vehicles were moving over it all these years.
“Children living on sides of the the river have to cross it to reach the schools on the other side. The 300-metre-long causeway provided the shortest route to people from Melanatham, Melapalayam, Kurichi and Kokkirakulam to reach the places like Karuppanthurai, Town, Kodeeswaran Nagar and Pettai,” said a resident.
However, now the causeway has been damaged for nearly 20 metres and has become unmotorable.
Plice personnel have been posted on both sides of the causeway to prevent people from using the causeway as a precautionary measure.
A Highways engineer said that since the river has higher flow of water, no work could be taken up. “Once the water recedes, the repair would be immediately taken up,” he said. He added that a high-level bridge has been sanctioned to replace the causeway.
Till, the causeway is repaired and made motorable, the people have to make a circuitious travel for about five to seven km.
Published - December 20, 2023 09:44 pm IST
