After inspecting the Chembarambakkam lake a day after water was released from it, Minister Duraimurugan said, “First we released 1,000 cubic per second (cusecs). I knew it would reach the sea before morning. So, I visited the mouth of the river to check if it was properly desilted. Now, the discharge has been increased to 2,000 cusecs. I enquired with officials over the phone. Our effort is to make sure that there is no damage.”

On the havoc caused by the last-minute discharge, the Minister said, “If the rainfall is as high as they forecast, we ought to open all sluices because waterbodies should be protected. If they are damaged, it will cause a huge disaster. Though I do not like so much water draining wastefully into the sea, the lives of people are more important. We are closely monitoring the situation.”

Responding to a query on people living near the banks of waterbodies affected by flooding, he said the Collectors were asked if people would be affected by rain and water release, and the officials reported that there would not be much impact on the public. “People living on the banks of rivers and canals should cooperate. Court verdicts insist that there should be no encroachment of waterbodies,” he pointed out.