Geneva, 4 November 2011
Brief description of the emergency
Due to the north east monsoon, heavy rainfalls have lashed the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu for the last few days. If these conditions prevail heavy flooding is anticipated. Most of the water reservoirs and tanks in the area are full to over flowing. Furthermore, the meteorological department has announced that a new trough of low pressure is extending from Sri Lanka to the northern Tamil Nadu coastal areas bringing more heavy rains.
Impact
The heavy rains along the Tamil Nadu coast have impacted the most vulnerable of the population, namely the daily wage labourers who are unable to go out to earn their living due to the rains and the small and marginal farmer families whose crops have been damaged. In some villages there is water logging and homes have consequently been damaged. Village roads have also been damaged causing difficulties accessing some affected areas. Due to the difficulties in access, prices of basic commodities have increased.
