Govt gears up for heavy rain in south

Chennai: A cyclonic circulation over south Bay of Bengal may bring heavy rainfall of 6cm to 12cm on Friday in 10 south, south coastal, and some delta districts, including Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Thanjavur, and Madurai districts.

On Saturday, the heavy spells may be restricted to six southern districts, including Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Ramanathapuram, and Virudhunagar.

Some coastal districts and a few places over north Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, may receive light to moderate rainfall on Friday.

As of Thursday 8.30am, Cheranmahadevi in Tirunelveli district recorded the highest of 3cm rainfall in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, chief minister M K Stalin on Thursday held a review meeting with collectors of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, and Pudukottai on the necessary precautions to prevent damage to the paddy procured from farmers in the region.

A govt press release said 16.94 lakh metric tonnes of paddy were procured in the delta districts during the 2024-25 season. This is 3.10 lakh metric tonnes more than the procurement last year.

"With the aim of procuring without any delay, 2,088 direct procurement centres have been opened this year, and more than six thousand workers have been engaged in the procurement drive," the release said.

About 200 additional procurement centres have been opened this year compared to last year, and the paddy procurement process is progressing at a rapid pace.

As heavy rain is expected in the delta districts on Feb 28 and Mar 1, the chief minister directed collectors of the delta districts to be prepared and take appropriate measures to procure paddy without being affected by the rain and to keep the procured paddy safe. The collectors detailed the measures taken by them.