Date:24/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/24/stories/2007072460640600.htm

Tamil Nadu

Forum on flood prevention

Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI: The Federation of Service Organisations (FSO) has urged the district administration to consult people before drafting flood prevention schemes.

Such consultation would not only enable the official machinery to get a better insight into the field level problems but also help the public to offer suggestions, it was expressed during a meeting of the FSO held here on Monday.

The meeting saw the participation of members of various consumer organisations, office-bearers of resident welfare associations and retired PWD engineers – all coming under the banner of the FSO. The meeting, presided over by its convenor M. Sekaran, was organised to discuss flood prevention measures.

Mr. Sekaran said the FSO had planned public hearings in flood-affected areas across the city to get first-hand information about the problem and suggest remedial measures. These hearings would commence within a month and a detailed report would be compiled. Based on the report, the FSO would suggest flood prevention measures, he said.

Since rampant encroachments in water bodies caused flooding, the meeting urged the government to clear the encroachments in the various drainage channels of the Uyyakondan river without delay.

Citing the 2005 flooding of several colonies in the city, Mr. Sekaran said an expert report on flood prevention measures had already been sent to the administration.

The FSO demanded that the administration clarify the status of the Rs. 294 crore permanent flood prevention scheme and the Rs. 7 crore temporary relief drafted for Tiruchi city.

The FSO said the closure of Vayalur Road in the city for the ongoing underground drainage work had severely hit the people in nearby colonies. The work could have been carried out during summer, it said.

FEDCOT general secretary S. Martin, Exnora district president G. Subramanian, consumer activist S. Sakunthala, retired PWD Superintending Engineer S. Natarajan and C. Balasubramanian of Karumandapam Flood Prevention Organisation attended the meeting.