Coimbatore : With almost all the rivers in spate and ponds and lakes brimming to full due to incessant rains being experienced in the
district, two senior Tamil Nadu ministers Friday reviewed the situation in Bhavani river, some 40 Kms from here.

In view of the rains for the last four days, the Pillur dam has crossed 97 feet as against its capacity of 100 feet, as the inflow the rainwater from Nilgiris and Coimbatore district was increasing.

This necessitated the administration to release nearly 30,000 cusecs of surplus water to Bhavani river, leading to it in spate following which a red alert has been sounded to the people of the banks in and around Mettupalayam to move to safer places and not not to venture into the river.

Considering this, Municipal Administratiaon Minister, S P Velumani and Animal Husbandry minister Udumalai Radhakrishnan, along with officials visited the area to take stock of the situation.

After the review, Velumani said that last year nearly 80,000 cusecs of water was released from the dam considering its safety, leading to inundation of various areas and houses.

However this time it was about 25,000 to 32,000 for the last three days, and all safety measures are being taken to protect the people in the area by arranging temporary shelters like community halls, marriage halls and schools, Velumani said.

About 300 temporary houses are being constructed to accommodate the people, he said.

The situation in nearby Nilgiris district, which is witnessing heavy rains, is also being reviewed and a report will be submitted to the chief minister, Velumani said.