A day-long heavy rain inundated the Government Taluk Hospital in Vaniyambadi town on Saturday, causing trouble to patients and hospital authorities, who had to wade through knee-deep stagnant rainwater.
Located between the bus terminus and railway crossing, the hospital, inaugurated in 1957, has 144 beds for in-patients. Hospital authorities said that on an average, they get between 500 and 700 outpatients every day.
“Over the years, the hospital premises sank lower than the road level due to repeated re-laying of the stretch without milling. Also, drains around the hospital have been clogged for many years,” B. Vimala, a resident, said.
Residents said that the hospital is a lifeline for key towns such as Vaniyambadi, Natrampalli, Alangayam, Jolarpet and Ambur. It functions round the clock, and has most of the advanced facilities such as CT scanner, X-ray, operation theatres, and adequate stock of medicines.
Apart from major towns, more than 30 villages are also dependent on the hospital for timely medical care. However, it gets easily flooded even if it merely drizzles.
Municipal officials said the hospital was located in a low-lying area near Kannamapudur lake, which has encroachments that in turn resulted in inundation. Moreover, the stormwater drains, which are small, were built many years ago. They cannot handle a large volume of floodwater discharged from the town and the lake.
“Municipal staff are discharging stagnant water from the hospital premises. Drains around the facility are also being unclogged. A proposal for a new STP [Sewage Treatment Plant] has been sent to the government for its nod to prevent such inundation,” S. Musthaba, Commissioner, Vaniyambadi municipality, told The Hindu.
Major towns such as Ambur, Jolarpet, Vellore, Gudiyatham, Tiruvannamalai, Polur, Arakkonnam, Ranipet, Cheyyar and Vandavasi also received rain.
The downpour, which lasted for several hours, has brought residents a much needed relief as they have been reeling under soaring temperatures that reached over 40 degrees Celsius in recent weeks.
“Heavy rain will help increase groundwater in the region as the farming season has begun. This will reduce the dependence on borewells to irrigate farmlands,” said C. Kasi, a farmer.
A rain-related accident claimed the life of a 38-year-old poultry farmer, K. Murugan, in Marudalam village near Walajah town. He was electrocuted while trying to switch on the lights in his poultry shed during heavy rain. A case has been registered, and the police are investigating the circumstances.
People have been urging authorities to improve maintenance of electrical systems to avoid such accidents.
Published – May 18, 2025 12:46 am IST
