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The southern states of India, namely Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karnataka, have declared holidays for schools, colleges, and government offices due to an impending heavy rainfall alert. This decision comes after several parts of Tamil Nadu experienced significant rainfall on Tuesday, prompting the government to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of citizens. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a statement on Tuesday evening forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Wednesday, with a possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places.
The weather department's forecast extends beyond Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Andhra Pradesh is also expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places on Wednesday. Kerala and Karnataka will experience moderate rainfall with the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places until Thursday. The IMD attributed this weather pattern to a low-pressure area over the southeastern Bay of Bengal, which is expected to move northwest on Tuesday with a potential to intensify into a depression. This weather system is predicted to move towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining areas of southern Andhra Pradesh in the subsequent two days.
In response to the anticipated heavy rainfall, the Tamil Nadu government announced a holiday for schools, colleges, and government offices in Chennai, Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Kanchipuram districts. The Karnataka government followed suit, announcing a one-day holiday for schools in Bengaluru. Puducherry also declared a school and college closure for Wednesday in the Union territory and its town of Karaikal. Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin informed reporters that Chennai had received approximately 5 cm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, leading to flooding in around 300 locations within the city. He stated that the water was being pumped out and that 26 teams from the National Disaster Response Force and its state unit had been deployed in Chennai and Tamil Nadu’s coastal areas to manage the situation.
Source: Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karnataka declare holiday for schools amid heavy rainfall alert