Chennai, Sep 21 (PTI) The Tamil Nadu government on Monday ramped up preparations for the upcoming Northeast Monsoon, with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay chairing a high-level review meeting focusing on flood mitigation, disaster preparedness, and dengue prevention.
Highlighting the need for proactive disaster management, the CM instructed district collectors and officials to identify coastal villages and vulnerable areas prone to seawater intrusion, coastal erosion, and flooding.
The Northeast Monsoon spans from October to December in Tamil Nadu, providing nearly half of the state’s annual rainfall.
At the meeting held at the Secretariat here, Vijay directed departments to prepare comprehensive evacuation plans and keep storm shelters, multipurpose centers, school buildings, and community halls ready to serve as relief camps.
Official instructions were issued to ensure all relief shelters are stocked with drinking water, food, ensure electricity, sanitation facilities, and medical care. Vijay emphasised that rescue teams, alongside emergency equipment such as boats, life rafts, power generators, and dewatering pumps, must remain on standby across districts.
To safeguard agricultural yield, officials were tasked with ensuring that paddy bags stored in warehouses are protected from rainwater damage.
The Chief Minister also called for the deployment of drones to inspect roads, bridges, and stormwater drains for maintenance, while ensuring emergency communication systems – including satellite phones – remain fully functional.
Public advisories and weather warnings will be broadcast via SMS and public alert mechanisms.
During the meeting, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management K A Sengottaiyan submitted the preliminary report of the Expert Advisory Committee on the El Niño Climate Change Event and Disaster Management to Chief Minister Vijay, a release here said.
Turning to public health, CM Vijay reviewed state-wide monitoring efforts against dengue fever, including tracking fever clusters, mosquito breeding hotspots, and the availability of fogging machinery.
He directed Domestic Breeding Checker (DBC) workers to conduct door-to-door surveys to identify and eliminate Aedes mosquito larvae. District administrations were urged to focus on continuous surveillance in high-risk zones and launch public awareness campaigns regarding early symptoms and prevention.
Officials at the Government hospitals and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) have been instructed to ensure early diagnostic testing, fluid therapy facilities, clinical assessment capabilities, and adequate ward management for severe cases.
The Chief Minister called for seamless inter-departmental coordination between the Public Health and Family Welfare Department, local bodies, and civic agencies to maintain environmental sanitation and vector control throughout the season. PTI JSP JSP ROH
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