Chennai: An inspection meeting was held today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Vijay regarding the precautionary measures to be taken in the southern interior districts and western districts in view of the northeast monsoon, as well as the measures to prevent dengue fever.
The Tamil Nadu government issued the following press release on this: ‘Under the chairmanship of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, a review meeting was held today (22.9.2026) at the Secretariat with district collectors on the precautionary and disaster management measures to be taken in the southern inland districts and western districts of Coimbatore, Dindigul, Erode, Karur, Madurai, Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Tenkasi, Theni, and Virudhunagar in view of the northeast monsoon, as well as on measures to prevent dengue fever.
In this review meeting, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu instructed the District Collectors to take precautionary measures appropriate to the risks and locations in the southern inland districts and western districts during the northeast monsoon season, and in particular to pay special attention to the risks in the hilly areas of the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Dindigul, and Theni districts, such as landslides, soil slips, instability in hill slopes, and traffic disruptions caused by soil and rocks sliding onto roads due to heavy rainfall.
He instructed District Collectors to continuously monitor all locations prone to landslides, especially to intensify surveillance in hillside slopes, road cut sections, and places where hazards have already been identified; to inspect vulnerable slopes and road sections before heavy rains and during periods of heavy rainfall; and to take immediate action if signs of instability such as soil cracks, slippage, or water seepage are observed.
Furthermore, he instructed that slope stabilization works such as soil nailing, already undertaken in identified areas in Kodaikanal, should be carried out to expedite the completion of landslide prevention and hill slope stabilization works; that major roads and transport links in hilly areas should be continuously monitored; and that if road connectivity is cut off due to landslides or the sliding of soil, rocks, and debris, machinery, personnel, and necessary equipment for immediate clearance should be kept ready in advance.
The Chief Minister instructed that personnel and equipment for rescue and evacuation operations should be pre-positioned in mountainous areas at risk, and that first-response rescue personnel should be identified, given the necessary training, and kept in a state of readiness.
Furthermore, he instructed District Collectors to inspect relief camps near vulnerable areas and ensure they are in a condition for immediate use; to ensure that VHF equipment and satellite phones are operational, as telecommunications may be disrupted in hilly areas; and to conduct drills and evacuation exercises in critical risk-prone areas, ensuring the rescue, evacuation, and road connectivity restoration measures to be taken in an emergency.
The Chief Minister instructed that immediate field action should be taken not only based on the district’s monsoon forecast, but also on the basis of heavy rainfall recorded locally and intense rainfall occurring over a short period.
Special attention based on landslide risk
According to historical data recorded since 1973, 490 landslide incidents have been recorded in Nilgiris district, 257 in Dindigul district, 238 in Coimbatore district, and 91 in Theni district. In addition, the risk assessment carried out identified 79 high/very high risk locations in Nilgiris district and 24 in Dindigul district.
Therefore, the Chief Minister instructed that disaster preparedness measures for hilly areas should be carried out based on a separate action plan, and that district administrations should pay special attention to identifying signs of landslides in advance, taking preventive measures, protecting road connectivity, evacuating people where necessary, and ensuring swift rescue operations.
At the same time, the Chief Minister instructed the District Collectors to ensure that canals, waterways, tanks, surplus water channels, and stormwater drainage systems in the southern districts function without obstruction, and to take the necessary precautionary measures in identified flood-prone areas. He also directed that, for every identified vulnerable location, the officer responsible for implementing precautionary measures, the necessary advance preparations, and the emergency action plan must be ensured before the rains intensify.
The Chief Minister instructed District Collectors to monitor that the paddy procured in the districts is not damaged by rain, and to store the essential items needed during the rainy season in the identified camps in advance and keep them ready.
Dengue prevention measures:
The District Collectors were instructed to identify the number of dengue and fever patients district-wise and the areas where the disease is spreading, and to ensure that other departments associated with the Department of Public Health and Family Welfare work in coordination to carry out activities such as house-to-house field inspections by mosquito larvae control workers, identification and removal of Aedes mosquito breeding sites, mosquito larval control, public awareness, and continuous monitoring in high-risk areas. They were also instructed to take extensive measures to create awareness among the public to seek immediate medical advice for dengue fever and to educate them about methods to prevent mosquito breeding.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister directed that government hospitals and primary health centers be ensured to be in a state of readiness to detect dengue fever at an early stage, refer patients for treatment in a timely manner, provide fluid therapy facilities, treat severe dengue patients, and carry out continuous medical monitoring.
Energy and Law Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, Chief Secretary M. Saikumar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Gagandeep Singh Bedi, and others attended the meeting.
It has been reported that the District Collectors of Coimbatore, Dindigul, Erode, Karur, Madurai, Nilgiris, Sivagangai, Tenkasi, Theni, and Virudhunagar districts participated via video conference.
