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Red alert across Tamil Nadu, Kerala’s Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad for Oct 7 as heavy rain forecast
The government has asked district officials to take necessary precautionary measures to avert mishaps and urged people not to venture out to vulnerable places.
The Tamil Nadu government Thursday issued a red alert for all districts for October 7 after the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted excessive rainfall in the southern state. Kerala has already sounded a red alert for three districts.
“We have passed circulars to the district administration to take necessary precautionary measures to avert mishaps. We urge people not to go to vulnerable places,” K Satyagopal, Tamil Nadu’s commissioner (revenue administration) told reporters.
“Advisories also have been given to fishermen not to enter sea for fishing as the sea would be rough and furious,” he said.
Tamil Nadu revenue minister RB Udhayakumar said the government has taken all the precautionary measures to face the rains.
“… The government has sanctioned around ₹100 crore to remove encroachments on the water path. De-silting works are also being carried out across the state to prevent the flood crisis. Disaster management forces are also kept ready to address if there are any calamities,” he said.
The government also urged the district administrations to keep the relief camps ready.
Authorities had sounded a flood alert in Tamil Nadu’s western and central districts in August and evacuated thousands of people after major dams in the region’s seven districts became full due to heavy water inflow from the neighbouring states.
Chennai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts have often been hit with heavy rainfall in the past during the northeast monsoon season. Chennai was devastated by a deluge in December 2015 when 500 people died and the capital city had ground to a halt because of the floods. The torrential rainfall in 2015 was the result of the El Nino effect, but Chennai’s unchecked urban development, loss of wetland and poor drainage exacerbated the situation.
In Kerala, which had Wednesday issued a red alert for October 7 in Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad districts which were among the worst-hit in floods in August after incessant rainfall, authorities in Idukki Thursday ordered closure of hotels and resorts from Friday and also banned travel in the night time. In district’s hill resort of Munnar, all hotels have been asked to ensure their guests vacate by Friday.
The red alert came after the Met department predicted “extremely heavy rainfall” in certain areas of the state on October 7, while a cyclonic storm along the Lakshwadweep coast was also forecast.
The Met department also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in some areas between October 3 to October 6.
