Though inundation in Chennai and neighbouring areas due to the influence of Cyclone Michaung was a cause of concern, the Tamil Nadu government had done an enormous amount of work in preparing and responding to the crisis, Kunal Satyarthi, Advisor (Policy and Planning), National Disaster Management Authority, said on Tuesday.
Casualties in the cyclone-ravaged areas have been minimal. And compared to the 2015 December deluge in Chennai, the infrastructure is now much more resilient, he said.
“We have been deputed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help the state government recover as quickly as possible,” Satyarthi told reporters after inspecting the affected areas in Sholinganallur.
During his interaction, he found that the residents were worried about the water level rising as they lived close to lakes and canals.
“Chennai is a low-lying town and on that night (December 4) the rainfall was extremely high and so was the storm surge. As a result, the canals and outlets were impaired and the sea did not allow the water to go inside,” he said.
The government was in conversation with the IIT and other institutions to address the issue of flooding.
“There’s already an urban mitigation plan made for Chennai and we are working with other governments in the world to look for a permanent solution to this problem,” he said.
“I appreciate that the Tamil Nadu government has done an enormous amount of work in preparedness and response and casualties have been minimal. Sadly, it happened. But, the infrastructure is much more resilient compared to the floods of 2015. The airports opened faster, and power supply and mobile connectivity have come quickly now,” Satyarthi said.
The six-member team under the Union Home Affairs Ministry also visited Velachery to assess the extent of damage due to floods.
“Whatever happened in Chennai is not very good – both the effect of the cyclone, stormwater surge, and the stagnation of water – is a matter of concern,” he said and added that the committee would submit a detailed report to the Centre soon.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena briefed the inter-ministerial central team about the damages caused by the recent floods in the state due to Cyclone Michaung.
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