The temporary relief shelters that were constructed by the Nilgiris district administration in Emerald last year after heavy rain was damaged by the rain this year as well.
According to local residents, the shelters were built to house around a hundred families around Emerald and Kanneri Mandhanai during times of heavy rain. It was expected that the shelters could prove to be useful when once again, as Emerald and surrounding regions were heavily impacted by the rain and landslips.
However, the heavy rain this year had severely damaged the newly built shelters, with the roofs being completely destroyed. As a result, residents, who were evacuated from Emerald and surrounding areas, could not be moved into the shelters which were built xactly this purpose.
A. Pushpa, a local resident, said that the shelters had not developed any major structural damage, but called on the district administration to carry out repairs so that local residents can use the shelters during the monsoon season in the coming years.
Nilgiris District Collector J. Innocent Divya inspected the area recently and surveyed the damage.
Officials from the district administration said that the Collector had ordered that the shelters be repaired and the roofs be replaced with concrete sheets to prevent them from getting damaged by rain or heavy wind in the future.
