CHENNAI : As heavy rains are predicted to pound the western ghats in the next two days, Tamil Nadu government has started taking precautionary measures to evacuate people from low-lying areas in Cauvery delta districts, said R B Udhayakumar, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management.The state government has also notified district administrations about precautionary measures to be implemented in districts that run along the river’s length including Salem, Dharmapuri, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Tiruchy, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Cuddalore, Ariyalur and Thanjavur.
As the Mettur dam has reached its full capacity of 120 feet, the entire inflow of 1,20,800 cusecs is being discharged from the dam. Due to this, the state government has advised families living in low-lying areas to evacuate to higher places for safety and warned people from entering the river for fishing, swimming or any other leisure activity.
As precautionary measures, the government has evacuated 319 persons in Nagapattinam and Kanniyakumari districts and moved them to relief camps. In Kanniyakumari district alone an additional 149 families from seven villages were shifted to relief camps.Fishermen have also been advised not to venture into the sea by the Indian Meteorological Department as it has predicted heavy rains on Thursday in the regions of Coimbatore, Theni, Dindigul, and Tirunelveli.