The weather department has issued a red alert in Chennai and its surrounding districts for Thursday as the city is likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall. Heavy downpour is expected to continue across Tamil Nadu till November 21.
Districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Ranipet may experience heavy to very heavy rain.
Bracing for the expected heavy downpour, schools and colleges have been shut across Chennai, Theni, Tuticorin and Dindigul districts.
“Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls over Rayalaseema, north Tamilnadu, Puducherry & Karaikal and south Coastal Andhra Pradesh on 18th November 2021,” IMD warned.
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The Chennai civic body has set up a war room where officials are monitoring the rain situation. Reports said that a total of 769 motor pumps have been deployed in the city.
In all high-risk flood-prone areas, corporation engineers have been appointed for every zone to expedite flood mitigation measures.
A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to rain-related incidents in the state in the past two weeks.