Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin interacted with the Collectors of Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Tirunelveli districts that are being lashed by heavy rains since Friday with the River Thamirabarani overflowing and discussed with them the precautionary and relief measures undertaken.
Stalin visited the State Emergency Operations Centre at Ezhilagam to review the situation with the district collectors and other senior officers through video conference and also to instruct them to ensure that no big loss happened to the people because of the rains.
Speaking to the media, he said he had dispatched Ministers and senior IAS officers to the districts to oversee the preventive and relief operations. Evacuation of people affected by the opening of dams and reservoirs due to heavy rains all over the State was on and they were taken care of, he said.
Apart from the three southern districts, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai and Chengalpattu districts also witnessed heavy downpours with 49 places recording 20 to 50 cm of rainfall and 139 places receiving 10 to 20 cm.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin visited the Chembarambakkam lake in Kanchipuram district, which is the main water source for Chennai city, as the water level rose to the brim, impelling the authorities to let 4632 cubic feet of water out of it.
Udhayanidhi Stalin also visited the Puzhal and Poondi reservoirs that were opened as the water level was nearing full capacity following heavy rains. He told the media that water was being released as a precautionary measure and that there was no need to worry about it.
For example, the Kosasthalaiyar river, into which 15,500 square feet of water was being let in from the Poondi reservoir, could actually take 80,000 square feet. Other outflows from the reservoirs, too, would have caused any big damage, he said.
More rains were expected in Chennai in the next two or three days but the people need not panic about it as the government was prepared to meet the situation by keeping facilities for setting up relief camps ready for occupation of displaced people, he said.
The government was keeping a watch over the situation all over the State and everything was under control, he said. Warnings about opening of reservoirs had been issued periodically without fail, he said.
Reservoirs all over the State were being opened as they were getting filled up like the Mettur reservoir from where water would flow through the eastern and western channel from December 14 for 33 day, benefiting the 45,000 acres of land under paddy cultivation. Similarly, the Wellington reservoir in Cuddalore district would be opened for 120 days benefitting 24,059 acres of cultivated land.
Most of the Ministers have been despatched to various districts by the Chief Minister to oversee the operations and Water Resources Minister Durimurugan held a review meeting to assesses the damages caused by Cyclone Fengal and the floods in the districts of Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts.
