Y. E. A. Raj , Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre:
The rainfall experienced now cannot be termed as unusual. People in Chennai feel the impact more because of paved surface and water stagnation.
This year has been the hallmark of southwest monsoon with Chennai district registering rainfall, which is excess by 41 per cent. But, there is no special reason for the vigorous monsoon activity.
G.Rajathi,Resident of Sathyamurthy Nagar, Vysarpadi.
“There has been a rise in mosquitoes in the recent weeks. The problem continues to increase even as many residents are making representations to authorities concerned. The sludge from the stormwater drain is not removed immediately after desilting by Chennai Corporation workers. This delay in removing the sludge makes the condition of the streets worse after the rains and also causes stagnation of dirty water.”
R.T. Porkai Pandian , Director of Public Health
The southwest monsoon has resulted in the breeding of mosquitoes. This will result in spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and acute diarrhoeal diseases. The district administration has been instructed to check mosquito and larval density and we are continuing with fogging operations. Health inspectors have been provided larvicides to arrest mosquito breeding. They have been asked to ensure chlorination of drinking water. There has been no increase in number of cases in government hospitals but we are not getting enough reports from private hospitals.
