Release Thirupugazh panel report, save city from cloudbursts: PMK

CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Sunday urged the State government to release the Thirupugazh Committee report on Chennai flood prevention and strengthen the city's flood mitigation infrastructure, warning that cloudburst-like rainfall could become more frequent due to climate change.

Citing rainfall data for the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday, Anbumani said in a statement that Parrys Corner recorded the highest rainfall at 36 cm. He said several parts of Chennai had received rainfall of an intensity comparable to a cloudburst.

Anbumani said the PMK had warned for more than five years that climate change could trigger cloudburst-like rainfall in Chennai and that the city's stormwater drainage and flood-prevention systems needed to be strengthened. He also cautioned that El Niño could worsen the situation this year.

Pointing to the Thirupugazh Committee's recommendations, he said the panel, constituted in November 2021, conducted field studies and analysed data over 17 months before submitting its final report in March 2023. However, he said the report has not been made public even after 43 months.

The previous DMK government said the committee made 161 recommendations, of which 101 were being implemented. However, Anbumani said the public still does not know the details of the recommendations and the measures implemented.

He urged the TVK government to make the report public and implement its recommendations to prevent Chennai from facing another round of severe flooding, stressing the need for comprehensive preparedness for increasingly intense rainfall.