Fresh downpours expected in Chennai today, all schools remain shut

IANS photo

Chennai: Schools across Chennai will remain closed on Saturday as more rain is likely to drench the city. 

On Friday, the death toll due to torrential rains in the city rose to 12. Yesterday, till 11 pm, Chennai had witnessed a whopping 55 mm of rains even as more showers are still expected.

According to Skymet Weather, moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to continue during the morning hours on Saturday and will witness a reduction during the afternoon. Light to moderate intermittent rain is expected thereafter. 

Flight operations at the city airport were normal and the government has maintained there was no reason to panic. 

On Friday, Chief Minister E Palaniswami visited various parts of Chennai hit by waterlogging following heavy downpours. 

In Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, schools and colleges have been closed since October 31. As per a government release, 105 relief camps have been set up in Chennai.

Notably, the city had by 8.30 am on Friday already recorded 554.2 mm of rainfall this year. Till Friday, Chennai had recorded 441.3 mm of rainfall from the northeast monsoon, data by Met office shows.

Chief Minister E Palaniswamy, accompanied by his deputy O Panneerslevam and senior officials, visited RK Nagar and Perungalathur on the city outskirts on Friday. 

"Low-lying areas with water-logging were identified in the Chennai Corporation (limits) and Kancheepuram district. Workers (here) worked on a war-footing and stagnant water has been removed," he said.

The rains have affected road, rail traffic. Delays were reported on local train routes. Flight operations at the city airport were normal, airport officials said. The weather department have forecast the rains to continue over the weekend.

Helpline numbers: 

The authorities in Chennai have issued helpline numbers amid continuous rains. The Helpline number for all districts of Tamil Nadu is 1077 and for Chennai, it is 1070.

Several colleges and universities have either cancelled or postponed exams due to heavy rains. The exam that was to be conducted today at Ambedkar Law University has been cancelled. The date of the exam will be announced later, a varsity press release said.

On the other hand, the authorities have cancelled the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE). The date on which the exam would be held has not been released as of now.

A farmer was electrocuted at Tiruvarur when he stepped on a snapped electric wire, raising the number of deaths in rain-related incidents to eight since October 27.