Cyclone Fengal: Water discharged from Sathanur dam without notice, charges Palaniswami

AIADMK leader blames DMK government for flooding in Tamil Nadu, criticizes lack of preparation and relief efforts.

The Leader of Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Tuesday (December 3, 2024) blamed the DMK government for the heavy flooding in northern districts of Tamil Nadu consequent to Cyclone Fengal alleging that 1.68 lakh cusecs water was discharged from the Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai district without prior notice to the local residents.

The Leader of Opposition told journalists in Salem that due to Cyclone Fengal for the past four days, heavy rains had battered Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, and Krishnagiri districts. “Without prior notice or any announcement in the media, on Sunday night, 1.68 lakh cusecs of water discharged from the Sathanur dam, and flood water entered hundreds of villages on the banks of the Thenpennai river. Similarly, villages in Cuddalore, Villupuram, and Kallakurichi districts were also affected,” he charged. The government should take steps to drain the water on a war footing, Mr. Palaniswami added.

Responding to a question on the State government seeking funds from the Union government, Mr. Palaniswami said it is usual to seek such funds during natural disasters. But the State government should conduct talks with the Union government to get the funds.

“Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in his social media post, had alleged that in the erstwhile AIADMK regime, Chennai people lost their sleep during floods. But now, his government failed to take precautionary measures and people have lost sleep,” the former Chief Minister said.

He condoled the death of seven persons following a landslip in Tiruvannamalai.

On Tuesday, the AIADMK general secretary inspected the Salem-Coimbatore National Highway at Kandampatti, where flood water from Thirumanimutharu stagnated over the national highways.

Explaining the damage caused by the rain in Salem, Mr. Palaniswami said in the past three days, Salem district received heavy rainfall, especially at Yercaud, with the flood water flowing in the Thirumanimutharu river. Due to this, people living near the banks of the river were affected.