Chennai: Chengalpet district Collector M. Veerappan inspected the Disaster Management Control room following an orange alert for the district and asked the officials keep all the arrangements including the machines and other equipment for rescue operations ready at the coastal taluks besides instructing them to monitor the complaints received in the control room.
The Collector who visited the control room on Saturday evening asked the Revenue department and fire station officials to be on their toes. The district received between 60 mm to 20 mm at various places and the heaviest rainfall of 60 mm was reported in Chengalpet taluk while Cheyyur recorded 50 mm while Tambaram received 46 mm.
There were no reports of damage to houses, cattle and human loss due to the rains on Saturday, according to the Collector’s office. A rainfall below 60 mm is considered moderate and falls under the dark green category, but the forecast of an orange alert indicates a warning for 115 mm to 204 mm.
The road in front of Kilambakkam terminus was inundated during the rains, but it was clear by Sunday. The transport department shifted the temporary bus stands for Ayudha Pooja from the climate park near the terminus and Maraimalai Nagar back to the usual platform inside the terminus as the number of passengers was not high on Sunday. The department said a total of about 4.15 lakh passengers have left by government buses to their native places in the last three days till Saturday.
The farmers had much to cheer for since the lakes started receiving water due to the rains. Of the 528 lakes maintained by the Water Resources Department in Chengalpet, the storage of one lake crossed 50 per cent while 117 of them crossed the 25 per cent storage, according to the executive engineer of the Water Resources Department. The water level in 408 lakes was less than 25 per cent since the initial rains were absorbed by the ground.
Among the 584 tanks under the maintenance of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department, two had crossed the 50 per cent storage mark and 99 of them have a storage of above 25 per cent while the storage is less than 25 per cent in 483 tanks. Besides, there are 2,512 ponds in the district and 8 of them had reached the 50 per cent storage level. The storage in 286 ponds is above 25 per cent while it is less than 25 per cent in 2,218 ponds. An orange alert means heavy rains and increase in the storage of the lakes and ponds.
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