First responders ready to tackle monsoon, says Tamil Nadu government

Initially, district revenue officials are being trained by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (APDC). They will also undergo a one-day training with the State Disaster Management Authority. The second and third phase of training at the grassroots level will be conducted shortly.

The State has identified 25,000 first responders to help the government in case of natural disasters such as floods and cyclone. The first responders are trained to communicate to the State disaster response team and to reach out to the low-lying areas that are vulnerable to flooding during a heavy downpour, he explained.

Earlier in the day, Sathyagopal launched the three-day monsoon and flood mitigation training programme for revenue and local administration officials at the Anna Institute of Management here. 

It is conducted by the ADPC, an intergovernmental organisation that works to build the resilience of people and institutions to disasters and climate change impacts in Asia and the Pacific. ADPC member countries include India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The State Revenue Department has also directed all the city corporations to conduct a pre-monsoon meeting and coordinate with the weather office to get the latest updates on rainfall and mitigation measures that should be deployed once the monsoon sets in. 

Meanwhile, Earth Sciences Ministry Secretary Madhavan Rajeevan said the coming Northeast monsoon is expected to be favourable. He also said an early flood warning system for Chennai, which faced a devastating deluge in 2015, would be tested on an experimental basis during the monsoon.

“There is good news for Tamil Nadu and predictions are that the monsoon is going to be favourable,” he said on the sidelines of a function here.

Rajeevan, however, added that the official forecast for the monsoon, which is active between  October to December, would be released in the first week of October.