Heavy rainfall predicted for nine districts in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Oct 21 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has predicted heavy rains in nine districts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday (October 22), an official said on Monday.

The weather department has forecast heavy rainfall in Theni, Dindigul, Karur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi, Nilgiris, Tirupur, and Erode districts on Tuesday.

The RMC also stated that Chennai would experience moderate rains over the next 48 hours, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.

Furthermore, the RMC predicted heavy rains in Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Madurai, Sivagangai, Theni, and Dindigul districts on October 23.

Moderate to heavy rains are also expected in many parts of Tamil Nadu from October 24 to 27. Due to the heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the Krishnagiri Reservoir Project (KRP) dam, 2,000 cusecs of water have been released.

A flood alert has been issued for the Harur and Pappireddipatti areas following this release. Fire and Rescue Services, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are on standby.

Continuous rainfall in the catchment areas of the Thenpennai river has led to a significant rise in water inflow levels at the KRP dam.

Dharmapuri District Collector K. Santhi has issued a flood alert along the banks of the Thenpennai river due to the release of water and has warned residents to stay away from the river basin.

Revenue officials in Dharmapuri district said that the water level of the Thenpennai river has been rising since Monday.

Following the release of 2,000 cusecs of water from the KRP dam, water levels along the riverbanks have increased, and people living in low-lying areas have been warned of the possibility of flooding and inundation.

With the northeast monsoon setting in, the Tamil Nadu Health Department has advised the public to be cautious about the spread of contagious diseases such as dengue, malaria, leptospirosis, and influenza.

It is worth noting that since January 2024, Tamil Nadu has recorded 18,000 dengue cases.

The state Public Health Department has urged residents to remove stagnant water from their premises to prevent mosquito breeding.

The Health Department has already launched monsoon camps across the state to identify cases of dengue, malaria, leptospirosis, influenza, and other diseases.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian, speaking to IANS, said that the department is closely monitoring vector-borne diseases like dengue in Tamil Nadu.

He noted that 10 districts -- Chennai, Coimbatore, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur, Tiruvallur, Theni, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, and Tiruchi -- account for 57 per cent of the total dengue cases in the state.

The government is focusing its efforts on these districts.

T.S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, emphasised that the Health Department is monitoring dengue and other fever-related cases reported in both government and private hospitals.

The public has been instructed not to store rainwater for long periods in discarded household items, as this can create breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Additionally, residents are advised to drink only boiled water to prevent waterborne diseases.

--IANS

aal/pgh