Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Tamil Nadu has shut schools and colleges in over 20 districts as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alert, indicating ”heavy rainfall’ on Thursday.
The alert was issued in 16 districts, including Cuddalore, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Chennai, and Tiruvallur, as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The districts where schools and colleges have been ordered to shut down are Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Ranipet, Dindugal, Pudhukottai, Theni, Vellore, Ariyallur, Nagapattinam, Villupura, Thiruvarur, Mayiladudhurai, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Villipuram, Thanjavur, and Dharmapuri. Moreover, Puducherry and Karaikal have also closed the schools and other educational institutes because of heavy rain forecasts.
A holiday has been declared for schools and colleges in over 20 districts across the state. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at Perambalur, Ariyalur, Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Vellore and Ranipet, according to the Indian Metrological Department (IMD).
This comes as a low-pressure area over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal turned into a well-marked low-pressure area over southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, off the coasts of north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh with the associated cyclonic circulation extending upto 5.8 km above mean sea level. It is very likely to intensify into a depression in the next 12 hours, the met department warned.
The IMD on Twitter informed that “Rough to Very Rough Sea conditions very likely to prevail over Southwest & adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal and along and off Tamilnadu-Puducherry-south Andhra Pradesh coasts. Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas till November 19 morning”.
The state government has appointed corporation engineers to take flood mitigation measures. Earlier, also severe rains lashed several districts of Tamil Nadu in which a dozen of people died and over 60 houses suffered damage.
