TN: Lake Puzhal fence wall weakens due to cyclone Michaung

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 7 (ANI): In the aftermath of cyclone Michaung, Lake Puzhal and other reservoirs in Chennai have reached their full capacity.

Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan and Commercial Tax and Registration Minister P Moorthy inspected the Puzhlal Lake in Thiruvallur District on Thursday morning and said that there is nothing to worry about after the inspection.

While speaking with the press, Durai Murugan said, “Take Puzhal, Chembarambakkam or any other reservoirs; those are just built to manage only moderate rainfall. But historically, after 47 years, no one expected this strong cyclone. However, officials took care of everything to mitigate the damage. The inflow of water was very huge and we could only release a small amount of water. The water level should be one and a half feet less than the actual capacity; we have told officials to maintain this. Everything is safe and there is nothing to worry about. There won’t be any danger to Puzhal Lake and the residents.”

Lake Puzhal, also known as Red Hills Lake, is a major source of water for Chennai, India. The lake is located in Red Hills, Chennai.

The Central government has approved the first urban flood mitigation project of Rs 561.29 crore for ‘Integrated Urban Flood Management’ activities for the Chennai Basin project, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday.

Shah made it clear in one of his posts on ‘X’ stating, “This mitigation project will help make Chennai flood-resilient.”

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conducted an aerial survey of cyclone Michaung-affected areas of Tamil Nadu on Thursday and held discussions with Chief Minister MK Stalin to assess the damage.

The National Disaster Management Authority, Police, Navy and other authorities were also present at the meeting between the Union Minister and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister after the ariel survey.

During the meeting, the Defence Minister was briefed on the cyclone, the damage caused and the relief needed from the Centre.

Speaking about the aerial survey he undertook to see the situation in the state, Rajnath Singh said, “I took an aerial survey followed by a one-to-one meeting with the Chief Minister and a review meeting with the concerned officials. Together, we are putting up an effective response to the situation here and hopefully, we will improve it further.”

He said that the first installment of the central share of the State Disaster Response Force has already been released and the Prime Minister has been directed to release the second installment in advance.

The Central government on Thursday released in advance its share of the second installment of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) of Rs 493.60 crore to Andhra Pradesh and Rs 450 crore to Tamil Nadu as both states are affected by cyclonic storm Michaung.