CHENNAI : The Tamil Nadu government announced on Thursday that as many as 2,538 people who lived in flood-vulnerable areas in Namakkal, Erode, Kanniyakumari, Karur, Tiruchy and Dharmpuri districts have been shifted to 35 relief camps. In view of the warning issued by the Central Water Commission that 2.1 lakh cusecs of water is likely to be released into the Mettur dam due to unprecedented rains in Kerala and Karnataka, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy held discussions with senior officials at the Secretariat.
According to a statement, the Chief Minister has directed officials to constitute a regional level monitoring teams comprising officials from various departments to take all precautionary steps across Tamil Nadu.
“Currently, 1.65 lakh cusecs of water is released into the Metter dam and the same quantity is being discharged.
So far, 14 roads, four bridges and two drainages have been damaged in heavy rains in Kanniyakumari, Erode, Theni and Coimbatore districts,” said the statement.Collectors of Nilgiri, Coimbatore, Theni, Dindigul and Tirunelveli districts have been instructed to disseminate the flood warning issued by the Indian Metrological Centre. The government has also deployed senior IAS officers to monitor and coordinate relief works in Nilgiri and Coimbatore districts, added the statement.
In addition to this, special teams in the ranks of Deputy Collectors have been formed to supervise the water intrusion in Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Karur and Tiruchy districts.The government has also stated that 492 trained State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel are also positioned in the vulnerable districts.