CHENNAI: More than half of the telecom towers mapped in Tamil Nadu are in areas exposed to high or very high cyclonic winds, while a third face medium-to-very high flood risk, according to the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
The CDRI assessment mapped 48,416 telecom towers across the State and found 27,690 (57%) exposed to high or very high cyclonic winds and 16,113 (33%) exposed to medium-to-very high flood depths.
Another 6,796 towers (14%) are vulnerable to storm surges of over six metres, while 516 towers are exposed to landslide risk.
“These figures indicate exposure to hazards and should not be interpreted as the number of towers expected to fail,” CDRI Director General Amit Prothi said.
The vulnerability, however, extends beyond the towers themselves.
Chennai and Chengalpattu are among the districts with the highest concentrations of towers exposed to very high flood levels and cyclonic winds.
Kancheepuram is among the districts with high flood exposure, while Tiruvallur is among those with high cyclonic-wind exposure.
The assessment does not provide district-wise tower counts.
For flood exposure, locations identified by the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority were assessed using a 2-km buffer to identify telecom towers in affected areas.
The findings highlight the need to assess telecom resilience at the network level, as cyclones or floods can trigger several failures at once — from damaged towers and antennas to power outages, flooded backup systems, disrupted fibre links and inaccessible sites.
Damage to fibre routes can sever links between towers and the wider network. “Connectivity can therefore be affected even when towers themselves remain structurally intact,” Prothi said.
Ahead of the Northeast Monsoon, CDRI recommends that operators inspect sites in flood- and cyclone-prone areas, check tower supports and antennas, improve drainage and protect cable entry points.
For long-term resilience, hazard exposure needs to be considered when telecom infrastructure is planned and built.
In coastal and flood-prone areas, this could include stronger structures, elevated equipment, protected cable routes and alternative fibre routes.