Rainfall in the Nilgiris surpassed average by 82 percent this monsoon 

Between June 1 and August 3 of this year, a total of 834.91 millimeters of rain has been recorded.

Rainfall in the Nilgiris between June and August of this year has surpassed the average expected rainfall by almost 82 percent, stated the Nilgiris district administration on Wednesday, following a review meeting on measures being taken to minimize the chances of the rain leading to loss of life and property in the district.

The district administration shared that between June 1 and August 3 of this year, a total of 834.91 millimeters of rain has been recorded, which is 81.94 percent higher than the average rainfall during the same period during previous “normal” monsoons. Efforts taken by the district administration to desilt streams and rivers have ensured that there have been no major flooding events reported during the monsoon, officials said, adding that people who have been moved to temporary relief shelters are being given food, medicine and other basic amenities. A total of 456 temporary relief shelters have been set up across the district to house people needing shelter.

So far, 353 trees that were at risk of falling have been cut down across the district, while 63 other trees that had already become uprooted during the rains were cleared by the highways department. As the Indian Meteorological Department has forecast rain in the Nilgiris for the next few days, two teams from the National Disaster Response Force, and one team from the State Disaster Response Force have been stationed in the Nilgiris in case of any emergencies. The teams have been stationed in Gudalur, Kundah and Udhagamandalam.

Present at the meeting were the State Forest Minister K. Ramachandran, monitoring officer for the Nilgiris, R. Anandakumar, district collector, S.P.Amrith, district forest officer (Nilgiris division), Bhosale Sachin Thukkaram and other government officials from various departments.