Heavy rain batters Tamil Nadu, holiday tomorrow for schools in 4 districts

Heavy rain battered southern districts of Tamil Nadu, including Thirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi, on Sunday due to the influence of the cyclonic circulation over Indian Ocean and Southwest Bay of Bengal off the southern Sri Lanka coast.

A holiday has been declared for schools and colleges in Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts on Monday, December 18, because of the rain.

Waterlogging was reported in several places in these districts on Sunday due to the heavy rain.

A railway subway was waterlogged in Kovilpatti as heavy rainfall continued in Thoothukudi, news agency ANI reported. Similarly, many streets were waterlogged in Nagercoil following heavy rain in Kanniyakumari.

There were also incidents of trees being uprooted and vehicles being damaged in Thoothukudi.

Collectors of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi have urged people to stay away from the Tamirabharani River as water discharge has gone up due to the increase in inflow. Water levels in other reservoirs have also gone up.

In response to the weather conditions, four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are being deployed to Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari with rescue equipment.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange alert for southern districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Sunday and Monday.