CHENNAI: As heavy rain is forecast in Chennai over the next 24 to 48 hours, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner G S Sameeran on Saturday urged residents to store crucial documents in waterproof covers and requested them, especially those in low-lying areas, to move to relief centres if evacuation becomes necessary.
As many as 113 boats have been kept ready in vulnerable and low-lying areas. “We have spoken to our fishermen friends and kept around 250 boats ready for deployment in case of an emergency,” he said. Around 7,000 volunteers have enrolled to assist in relief operations, while 15,000 field workers will be engaged during the rains and deployed as required.
While holding inspections in the Manali zone on Saturday, Sameeran told reporters that 17 low-lying areas have been identified as vulnerable to waterlogging and the civic body is also taking measures to prevent flooding of the inundation-prone Amullaivoyal transit bridge near the Puzhal surplus water canal.
The GCC is coordinating with the Water Resources Department (WRD) to prevent flooding from the Puzhal surplus water canal. Downstream, the compound wall of CPCL, which has been obstructing nearly 7,000 cubic ft of surplus water, has been instructed to be demolished, he said.
Surplus water from Retteri and Korattur lakes also flows through the area, and the GCC has planned a controlled release whenever required. In case of extremely heavy rainfall resulting in inflow higher than the canal’s carrying capacity, low-lying areas such as Balasubramanian Nagar may get inundated, he said. The GCC is also monitoring waterbodies in suburban areas, including Poondi, Puzhal, Cholavaram, Kesavapuram, and Thervoy Kandigai.
Since Manali is an industrial belt, wastewater and effluents could mix with floodwater and contaminate drinking water sources.
Command and control rooms have been set up at all 15 zones to monitor conditions locally, supported by CCTV cameras and drones, he said.
Sameeran also the weather forecast indicated no major threat to Chennai, but a trough extending from another low-pressure area over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Lakshadweep could influence rainfall over the region.