Tamil Nadu fully prepared for North East Monsoon to ensure public safety: Health Minister Ma Subramanian

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 22 : Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Wednesday said that the state is fully prepared to face the North East monsoon, highlighting measures taken by the state government to prevent flooding and ensure public safety.
Speaking to reporters, Subramanian said, "Even before the onset of the North East monsoon, the Chief Minister instructed all service departments to be fully prepared. Every department has been working swiftly and efficiently to ensure people's safety."
Deputy Chief Minister Udyanidhi Stalin has been inspecting several areas across Chennai, focusing on zones that previously suffered waterlogging. The city has received about 10 cm of rainfall in various areas so far.
Subramanian pointed out that, unlike in earlier years when even four to five centimetres of rain caused severe waterlogging and flooded subways, "despite heavy rains in many parts of the city, there has been no water stagnation on roads, and vehicles are moving normally through the subways."
Regarding healthcare preparedness, Subramanian stated that doctors across all hospitals in Tamil Nadu are on high alert, with medical stores fully stocked for the rainy season. "All 2,336 primary health centres in the state are equipped with anti-venom for snake bites and vaccines for dog bites," he told reporters.
Referring to past incidents, Subramanian recalled that during the AIADMK regime in 2005 and 2015, the Chembarambakkam Lake was opened without adequate warning, causing severe damage to riverbank settlements.
He said, "Our Chief Minister personally monitors the inflow and outflow levels of Chembarambakkam Lake daily. Over the last four years, we have ensured that people are informed immediately. Even if the inflow rises to 10,000 cubic feet per second, there will be no damage, as the embankments have been strengthened to handle that capacity. People will be protected, and no harm will come to them."
Earlier today, several districts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry continued to receive heavy rainfall as a well-marked low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal showed signs of intensification, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).
The system, which moved northwestward from off the north coast of Sri Lanka, was centred near the Tamil Nadu coast on Wednesday morning. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), it is likely to intensify into a depression over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, off the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts, during the next 12 hours. It is expected to move inland across northern Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and southern Andhra Pradesh within the next 12 hours.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reviewed measures to tackle heavy rains with officials, as the Regional Meteorological Centre issued alerts for intense downpours across several coastal districts.
"I conducted an advisory meeting today through a video conference regarding the measures to tackle the heavy rains currently lashing Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, and Delta districts," CM Stalin said in a post on X.
A review meeting was held at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, in Chennai's Teynampet on Wednesday under the leadership of Minister for Municipal Administration K. N. Nehru and chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
According to party sources, the meeting focussed on issuing guidelines related to the ongoing rain situation, precautionary measures, and relief activities to be undertaken by DMK members in the field.
District secretaries, mayors, deputy mayors, councillors, and party secretaries of zones, towns, and divisions from the Chennai, Tambaram, Avadi Corporations, and the Poonamallee Municipality participated in the meeting.