A long queue of tourists waiting at the main falls in Courtallam in Tenkasi district.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
With Sunday being holiday, the visitors to the Courtallam was almost double the numbers due to the season. However, the thin water flow in the main falls led to long queue outside that almost the waiting time was over an hour.
The crowd was simply unmanageable, said a police personnel near the main falls. With poor water flowing and the scorching sun, things went chaotic many times during the day. People pushed each other as they approached the water falls point, but the time taken to bath was hardly two to five minutes.
With the scorching Sun and heavy rush, restaurants were also running full from 8 a.m. Many roadside vendors, selling shampoo and oil, had a brisk sales in the morning, but as the queue was long, the impatient visitors went out of control and they rushed near the bathing point.
Some of the volunteers had to literally push the visitors to move as they came in groups and refused to leave. Not in a mood to let things go out of control, a large posse of police ensured that there was an order. However, the visitors were unhappy due to poor flow and high temperature.
During July and early August, the waterfalls had a copious flow that people thronged the destination from far and near. It was almost empty on working days while the flow was heavy, a volunteer in the main falls said and added that the crowd was likely to be heavy till Monday as it is a government holiday.
The ‘saaral’ season is expected to be there till September as there has been good rain in many parts along the Western Ghats.