NEM intensifies in Tamil Nadu; 4,500 people moved to relief camps

Several parts of the fertile Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu continue to receive heavy to very rainfall with Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai alone recording 44 cm of rainfall in 24 hours ending Saturday morning, even as the state government asked district administrations to keep 5,000 relief camps ready to handle any exigency.

As many as 4,520 people, including 4,425 from Mayiladuthurai district, are currently lodged in five camps as the North-East Monsoon (NEM), the lifeline of the state, intensifies. The MeT department forecast heavy rains in several parts of the state till Sunday, while warning that another round of heavy to very heavy rainfall might be in the offing next week.

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Mayiladuthurai and Cuddalore districts bore the brunt on Friday and Saturday with several parts being pounded by heavy to very heavy rains submerging several crops and inundating low-lying areas. Television footage showed people wading through knee-deep and almost waist-deep water in a few villages near Sirkazhi, which received 44 cm rainfall between 8.30 am on Friday to 8.30 am on Saturday.

Officials said the 44 cm rainfall was the highest in Sirkazhi in the past 122 years. Kollidam in Mayiladuthurai received 32 cm, Chidambaram (31), Annamalai Nagar (28 cm), Bhuvanagiri (21), and Kothavacherry (19 cm) rainfall during the above-mentioned period.

A statement from Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said over 40,500 hectares of rice crop in 21 districts have been submerged due to the monsoon rains and that Chief Minister M K Stalin undertook a review meeting on Saturday to check the preparedness of the official machinery.

“The Chief Minister asked district collectors to ensure that all 5,093 relief camps in the state are kept ready to move people living in low-lying areas in case of heavy rains,” the statement said, adding that four NDRF teams with 92 personnel have been stationed at Nilgiris, Ranipet, Dindigul, and Theni districts.

Five NDRF teams consisting of 163 personnel are stationed at Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, and Mayiladuthurai districts. The Chief Minister, the statement said, also instructed officials to keep an eye on water inflow in dams and lakes and ensure excess water is released without any delay.

In Chennai, the average rainfall recorded was 5 cm in 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Saturday. The city received heavy to very heavy thunderstorms through Friday night leading to waterlogging in several places across the city. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) said it has deployed several thousand pumps to drain out water from low-lying areas.