Tamil Nadu: Record rain in 114 years, Karnataka labs on standby to dispatch 10 tonnes of ready-to-eat food
Chennai: The premier Central Food Technological Research Laboratory (CFTRI) and Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in Mysuru in neighbouring Karnataka are gearing-up to feed flood-hit in Chennai, which is facing unprecedented crisis after being slashed by flash floods deemed to be the worst in last 114 years. The Nungambakkam weather station in Chennai recorded 26 cm of rainfall in December way back in 1901 and the record was broken with Chennai recording 29.3 cm rainfall in last 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Wednesday.
The two premier labs are on standby and ready to dispatch 10 tonnes of ready-to-eat food, enough to feed one lakh people. In fact, DFRL has already sent 3.7 tonnes of ready-to-eat food comprising of 10 varieties, which include Suji Halwa, vegetable pulav, rajma curry, dal fry, tomato rice and payasam that were distributed to 20,000 people in past one week. The Tamil Nadu government is already in touch with these central food laboratories for more help.
Speaking exclusively to the Deccan Chronicle over phone, CFTRI director Ram Rajasekharan said CFTRI was capable to cook and dispatch 8 tonnes of ready-to-eat food per day, but was asked to wait by Tamil Nadu government due to logistics problems. “We have kept our contingency plans ready and act according to the request of Tamil Nadu government. We have already expressed our willingness to help”. It can be recalled that CFTRI has supplied large quality of food during 2004 tsunami.
Meanwhile, DFRL director Dr. Harsha Vardhan Batra told this correspondent that a meeting of senior food scientists was held on Wednesday and was decided to keep ourselves ready. “Be it war time or humanitarian crisis, DFRL has always extended its helping hand. We can’t volunteer the help since the lab comes under the ambit of Ministry of Defence. The directives have to come from Chief Controller (R&D Life Sciences), DRDO. At the moment we don’t have any request for more food, but if we are asked to supply food the DFRL can produce 2 tonnes per day”.
Interestingly, DFRL has recently developed 16 food varieties of reconstitutable producs, whose bulk will increase by three times when mixed with water. These products are light in weight, easy to transport and highly nutritious. Under the guidance of former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the DFRL also developed underground grain storage ‘silos’, which have five-tonnes capacity each and are free from rodents, microbial organisms, moisture, termites and other spoilers. These silos can be used to store reconstitutable food and feed the victims sheltered in relief camps. “It’s a workable and cost-effective concept and useful during any natural calamity and manmade disaster. Our food has more than one-year shelf life and food in silos can be stocked 20 feet underground”. Dr. Batra explained.
