No adequate precautions to tackle monsoon, charges ex-minister

MADURAI: The state government has failed in its duty and did not take adequate precautions to tackle northeast monsoon, former minister and AIADMK MLA of Thirumangalam RB Udayakumar said on Wednesday.

The monsoon caused flooding in many areas in Chennai and several residents faced untold hardships. It seems a ready-made answer from field officers, who were deputed to tackle the monsoon and make arrangements to restore normalcy, that 90 per cent of stagnant rainwater ran through the drains. But, Chief Minister MK Stalin stated that 70 per cent of stagnant waters drained. However, it’s clear that not even 40 per cent drained off in Chennai, Udayakumar told reporters in Madurai.

With just the first spell after the onset of the northeast monsoon, the entire state has started trembling and storm water drainage works were not executed properly in Chennai.

The average NE monsoon rainfall over Tamil Nadu is 448 mm and about 50 per cent caters to drinking and agriculture needs. However, this year the Met Department has predicted more rains of around 38 per cent to 75 per cent than average amount of rainfall during this monsoon season.

During the 10-year AIADMK rule, various safety precautions were initiated and with the aid of World Bank and the funds of the then government, storm water drainage works were implemented at a cost of Rs 2,850 crore in Chennai and inundation in areas were reduced to 47 from 3,600 points. More importantly, cyclones, including Vardah, Ockhi, Gaja and Nivar, that occurred during the previous regime were tackled well by the AIADMK government, he claimed.