The Tamil Nadu government has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in four northern districts—Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Chengelpet—on Wednesday, October 16, due to heavy rainfall affecting the state, as reported by news agency PTI.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was seen inspecting the flow of rainwater in the Otteri Canal while interacting with sanitation workers amid the downpour. The chief minister’s office announced, “Under its influence, isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over Tamil Nadu on October 16. Given this situation, the Government has decided to declare a Public Holiday tomorrow.”
Essential services will continue to operate as usual, including police, fire services, local bodies, milk and water supply, hospitals and medical shops, banks, financial institutions, power supply, and transport services (MTC, MRTS, CMRL, railways, airports, airlines, and port services). The chief minister’s office stated that “all shops and other commercial establishments shall function as usual.”
Chennai and other regions in Tamil Nadu experienced widespread, intermittent rain on Tuesday, leading to knee-deep water in several residential areas. In the flooding-prone locality of Ram Nagar in Madippakkam, residents parked their vehicles on the Velachery bridge as a precaution.
Over 300 locations reported flooding in Chennai, impacting public transport services. Officials deployed heavy-duty pumps to clear waterlogged areas. Fortunately, no significant rain-related incidents were reported, aside from a wall collapse that resulted in minor injuries.
The state government has positioned disaster response teams, with over 200 boats on standby in vulnerable areas. In Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet, and Kancheepuram districts, over 931 relief centers have been established, with IAS officers monitoring the situation around the clock.
The Southern Railway announced the cancellation of four express trains, including the Chennai Central-Mysuru Kaveri Express, and several trains were diverted, with their origin shifted to Avadi, several stations away from Chennai Central. Multiple domestic flights at Chennai airport were also canceled.
Chief Minister MK Stalin inspected flood relief operations, urging officials to expedite the drainage of rainwater in flood-prone areas. He praised the efforts of sanitation and civic workers, expressing solidarity with frontline responders.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin visited various lakes in Chennai, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of rainwater and overseeing operations from the integrated command and control center at Ripon Building.
Localities such as Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded significant rainfall of 13 cm and 10 cm, respectively, by 7:30 PM on Tuesday. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) elevated the orange alert for Chennai to red, forecasting isolated extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 20 cm on Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rain over the next two days in Tamil Nadu, noting that a well-marked low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression. The IMD bulletin indicated that heavy to very heavy rain, with extremely heavy rainfall expected in one or two locations, is likely for the districts of Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Chennai.
