Chennai: With monsoon likely to set in early next week, the government has imposed a ban on road cuts and positioning of motor pumps in low-lying areas.
Over 5,000 civic staff, including 3,337 malaria workers and 42 rescue teams with 103 motorboats are ready to take up flood-mitigation work in the Chennai metropolitan area.
The city corporation in a press release said a high-level meeting comprising state ministers and top officials on Wednesday discussed monsoon arrangements at Ripon Buildings.
A total of 859 areas witnessed water-logging during last December, of this 115 areas are vulnerable to flooding during a downpour. It is decided to position men and machinery at these identified flood-prone areas, ahead of monsoon.
Local administration minister S.P. Velumani who convened the review meeting with senior ministers D. Jayakumar and R.B. Udayakumar also passed instructions to the Chennai corporation and Chennai metro water to keep flood assistance and the medical teams ready in corporation community centres.
To expedite relief and medical assistance, the city corporation has identified 156 Corporation Community Relief Centres and these centres can accommodate public in case of evacuation and serve food, the release said.
To check out the stray snakes a nine-member squad from forest department will also coordinate with the corporation and to clear the uprooted avenue trees, round the clock special squads with 42 tree cutting machines are also kept ready, the release said. And to prevent water logging in subways, both state highways and Chennai Corporation will deploy motor pumps in 29 subways to drain the storm water during the deluge, the release added.
Senior officials, including corporation commissioner D. Karthickeyan, municipal administration secretary K. Phanindra Reddy, revenue secretary Chandra Mohan, commissioner of revenue administration K. Satyagopal, Chennai metro water managing director Vikram Kapur, Chennai collector P. Maheswari and Vijay Pingale, joint secretary Industries department attended the high-level meeting.
