CHENNAI: Expressing grief over the death of six persons in two incidents while taking bath in a river and in the water stagnated in a stone quarry due to rains, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday advised the people to be cautious enough while taking bath in rivers and other waterbodies such as lakes and ponds. He also announced a solatium of `1 lakh each to the bereaved families.
“People should be cautious hereafter to avoid loss of lives. Take bath in rivers and lakes only at the places marked for that purpose and do not move to restricted areas,” the CM said in a statement here.
The CM said he had already instructed the district administrations in delta areas to take all precautionary steps ahead of opening the Mettur dam. Following this, people living in the Cauvery-catchment areas and low-lying areas around dams have been requested to move to safer places.
Six members of a family from Erode district were washed away in rushing waters on July 22. While bodies of four were recovered, one person was saved. Search was on for another person. On the same day, in another incident, two boys drowned in the water stagnating in a stone quarry in Madurai district.