Tamil Nadu Govt Gears Up To Face The Monsoon Onslaught

Instructing the authorities to ramp up the varied preparations to face the Northeast monsoon, which will be active in Tamil Nadu between October and December, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay focused on public health and reviewed the state-wide monitoring to prevent a possible outbreak of dengue fever and to track clusters prone to the epidemic and mosquito breeding hotspots.

Chairing a meeting at the Secretariat on Monday to review the monsoon preparedness, Vijay checked on the availability of fogging machinery to tackle mosquito breeding and directed domestic breeding checker (DBC) workers to conduct door-to-door surveys to identify and eliminate Aedes mosquito larvae.

He urged the district administrations to keep a continuous surveillance in high-risk zones and launch public awareness campaigns regarding early symptoms and prevention of Dengue.

Vijay instructed district collectors and officials to identify coastal villages and vulnerable areas prone to seawater intrusion, coastal erosion, and flooding even as the meeting primarily stressed on the need for flood mitigation and disaster preparedness by highlighting the need for proactive disaster management.

Various government departments were instructed to prepare comprehensive evacuation plans and setting up of storm shelters and multipurpose rescue centers and identify school buildings, and community halls that could be converted into relief camps.

All relief shelters were instructed to stock drinking water and food, ensure electricity supply, provide sanitation facilities, and medical care, while the Chief Minister emphasised on rescue teams remaining on standby across districts, alongside emergency equipment such as boats, life rafts, power generators and dewatering pumps.

Officials were told to safeguard agricultural yield by ensuring that paddy bags stored in warehouses were protected from rainwater damage and Vijay called for the deployment of drones to inspect roads, bridges, and storm water drains for maintenance and keeping emergency communication systems like satellite phones fully functional.

The meeting discussed the need for issuing regular public advisories and weather warnings, SMS and public alert mechanisms to keep the people prepared for any emergency.

Calling for a seamless inter-departmental coordination between the public health and family welfare department, the Chief Minister said local bodies and civic agencies should maintain environmental sanitation and vector control throughout the season.

Authorities of Government hospitals and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) should be instructed to ensure quick diagnostic testing, set up fluid therapy facilities, improve clinical assessment capabilities and provide adequate ward management for inpatients, the meeting decided.

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 the Chief Minister Vijay at the meeting.