Southwest monsoon claims one life, 29 houses in Tamil Nadu, says minister

CHENNAI:  One person was killed and 29 houses were damaged during the Southwest monsoon in Tamil Nadu, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management KKSSR Ramachandran said on Sunday. To shield people from the rains, 8,567 people were moved to shelters in 10 districts, and all precautionary steps have been taken, he added.

The State received 269 mm of rainfall from June 1 to August 6, which is 102% more than normal, the minister said in a press statement. Between Saturday and Sunday, 16 districts, including Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, and Tiruvallur, received heavy rainfall. A total of 69 relief centres were set up in 10 districts, and housed 8,567 people from 2,597 families.

Based on the IMD’s forecast of heavy rain and the chief minister’s instructions, monitoring officers and ministers were sent to the affected districts, Ramachandran said, adding that Collectors have been told to take all precautionary measures to prevent damage. Relief work has been expedited, he further said.

With 13,000 cusecs of water being discharged from Bhavani Sagar Dam, and 1.10 lakh cusecs from Mettur Dam, warnings were sent to 29.10 lakh mobile phones of people living near river banks, through the Common Alert Protocol (CAP).

District and State control rooms can be reached round the clock on toll-free numbers 1070 and 1077 respectively, and complaints can be registered by sending WhatsApp messages to 94458-69848, the minister said.

Of the 29 houses damaged, 20 are huts; and the lone fatality was reported in Vellore district. Nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been stationed in Tiruchy, the Nilgiris, Namakkal, Coimbatore, Erode, and Kanniyakumari districts, and 11 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been kept on standby in various districts.

District Collectors have been told to be prepared with all necessary equipment to face emergencies. Food, water, and medicines should be stocked at relief centres, the minister said, and requested the public to follow the district administrations’ advisories.