Ooty: The Southwest monsoon (SW monsoon), which stretches between mid-June and September and accounts for copious rainfall in the Nilgiris, especially in central and western Nilgiris, has begun to set in and the district administration is in a state of alert and has openedcontrol rooms. The overcast sky, hovering mists, winds with occasional downpour and drizzle, which make up for the SW monsoon, has begun to engulf the hills since Monday afternoon. The heavy downpour coupled with winds uprooted trees in a few places in the Pandalur belt in the Nilgiris bordering Kerala.
The district administration here in the hills is geared up to meet any exigencies during the SW and held a meeting of officials to discuss measures to be taken to tackle the issues related to the SW monsoon.
Ms. J. Innocent Divya, collector of Nilgiris, said that control rooms in all taluk headquarters in the district have been opened as well as in the collectorate and these will function round the clock to monitor the weather profile, flood situation and respond to calls from people during the time of heavy rains. 35 zonal teams were formed in the district. This apart, an early warning committee, search , rescue and evacuation committee and relief centre management committee, have also been formed. A toll free number 1077 is in place for people to pass on information regarding heavy rains and related damages. All the departments, various agencies concerned and those who deal with disaster management have been instructed to be in a state of constant alert, he added.
