TN govt is monitoring rainfall situation in TN: Sengottaiyan

TN govt is monitoring rainfall situation in TN: SengottaiyanTNNChennai: State revenue and disaster management minister K A Sengottaiyan said on Tuesday that the state govt was fully prepared to handle the southwest monsoon. He said the govt was monitoring the rainfall situation in the state in the wake of Indian Meteorological Department’s alert that 22 districts will receive heavy rainfall on Wednesday.Speaking to reporters at Ezhilagam in Chennai, Sengottaiyan said the state was closely monitoring the rainfall scenario not just in TN but also in the neighbouring regions too. “Rainfall had commenced in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Even in Kerala, monsoon has set in on Monday. Hence TN govt is carefully monitoring the situation by analysing the weather data to take precautionary measures” Sengottaiyan said.He said personnel attached to state disaster response force (SDRF) and volunteers are kept ready in every district. “Union govt is also prepared to help the state in case of any contingency. Helicopters are kept ready for rescue purposes,” Sengottaiyan said.Tamil Nadu receives around 32% of its annual rainfall through the southwest monsoon season and around 48% through the northeast monsoon season. The minister said the average temperature in the state fell from 41 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius, making it easy for school students to go to schools from Thursday.Asked about the preparedness for natural disasters in TN, Sengottaiyan said the Nilgiris is prone to landslides, but a disaster like Wayanad will not happen. “In Wayanad people constructed resorts on the hill and changed the entire topography of the region which is not the case with Nilgiris,’’ he said.Ends