Ooty: Thanks to ‘Gaja’ cyclone, the hills here has begun to witness a drastic change in the weather profile since Thursday night as rains, winds clouds have changed the climate which was otherwise freezing cold.
The rains, though not heavy, continued through Friday as clouds, mists, drizzle and occasional heavy downpour made up for the change in weather profile across Nilgiris district today.
Uprooting of trees in jungle fringes and on roadsides in a few areas around this hill town played havoc with the power supply and kept the electricity department officials on their toes to take up repair works. The snapping of power cable in certain areas caused hindrance to water supply too.
The continuing rains and nippy weather conditions played spoilsport with the sightseeing trips of the tourists as the spots hardly attracted any good influx of tourists on Friday.
While the disaster management teams are kept ready across the hills to respond to any situation, the district administration is on high alert and monitoring the situation round the clock.
Since, the Ooty-Coonoor-Burliar sector of the Ooty-Coimbatore NH and also the Ooty-Kotagiri-Coimbatore roads are prone to landslips and uprooting of trees during heavy rains in Northeast monsoon season, highway teams assisted by the disaster management teams are kept in position.
As the onset of winter mode with deposition of dew in the recent days had withered the hope for farming sector, the good rains now have renewed their hope as the showers are said to be very good for the tea plantation and the standing hill vegetable crops.
