Incessant rain has lashed many parts of Vellore town, including the Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) and neighbouring towns like Ambur, Vaniyambadi, and Arani, for the past few days.
Towns like Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, and Tiruvannamalai districts witnessed sudden showers that lasted for over an hour. This brought much-needed respite to residents because the temperature had reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius early last week.
“Sudden rain has helped to ease the heat in Vellore town, which has been experiencing severe heat since early April. It also helps to recharge ground water in the town,” said S. Vimala, a resident of Vellore.
Low-lying areas such as Sampath Nagar and Kansalpet in Vellore, which used to get inundated during the monsoon, have received heavy showers for the past few days. Frequent power cuts were reported in many areas of these districts due to heavy showers and strong winds.
Tiruvannamalai has received the highest rainfall with a total rainfall of 510.90 mm, followed by Vellore with 151.40 mm. Among major towns, Kalasapakkam in Tiruvannamalai district received the highest rainfall of 77.60 mm, followed by Chetpet (Tiruvannamalai) with 64.60 mm, and Arani and Polur towns each received 64.20 mm of rainfall as of 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
Areas like Cheyyar, Jamunamarathur (Jawadhu Hills), Polur, Tiruvannamalai town, Kilpennathur, and Thandarampattu in Tiruvannamalai district received good rainfall. In Vellore, areas like Pernambut, Gudiyatham, Katpadi, Vellore Old Town, Bagayam, and Sathuvachari have witnessed sudden showers for the past few days, including in the early hours of Tuesday.
Of the seven taluks in Ranipet district, Panapakkam along the Palar river, known for vast tracts of paddy fields, received the highest rainfall of 21.80 mm in the district as of 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. Major towns in the district like Arcot, Walajah, Arakkonam, and Sholinghur also received good rains.
In Tirupattur district, Natrampalli town along Jawadhu Hills received 13 mm of rain. Key areas like Tirupattur town (8.20 mm), Ambur (5.20 mm), and Vaniyambadi (3 mm) also witnessed good rainfall for the past few days.
Assessment of damaged crops
Agriculture department officials said that these districts, including Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, and Vellore, also witnessed crop damage. Major crops like paddy, banana, and sugarcane were damaged in Arani, Polur, Kalasapakkam of Tiruvannamalai, Panapakkam (Ranipet), and Ponnai in Vellore. An assessment of crop damage will be done in the next few days by the department of agriculture, said officials.
