The Puducherry government announced on Friday that all schools and colleges in the Union Territory (UT) will be closed till Saturday because of heavy rainfall predicted by the weather bureau.
“All schools and colleges in Puducherry will be closed today and tomorrow (26 and 27 November) due to heavy rains,” the UT's education minister A Namassivayam said in a statement.
The directive comes a day after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Puducherry and neighbouring Tamil Nadu till November 29 (next Monday).
“Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely over Tamilnadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during 25th to 29th November,” IMD said in a tweet on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}“Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely over Tamilnadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during 25th to 29th November,” IMD said in a tweet on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}The weather department also said that squally wind with speed reaching 40-50kmph gusting to 60kmph is likely over the southwest Bay of Bengal, Comorin area and the Gulf of Mannar along and off south Tamilnadu coast on Friday. Fishermen have been advised to not venture into these areas.
In Tamil Nadu, a red alert has already been issued for five districts of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai and Nagapattinam.
Schools in the Thoothukudi district will remain closed on Friday as heavy rainfall inundated railway stations and the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Tiruchendur municipality, Hindustan Times reported on Thursday. Train services to and from Thoothukudi have also been cancelled.
In Madurai, the district collector also declared a holiday for all schools as heavy rainfall caused waterlogging in several parts of the city.
Meanwhile, the IMD on Thursday sounded a light to moderate rainfall alert in 12 districts of Tamil Nadu including Sivaganga, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur.