Schools shut in Chennai, 2 other cities as Met predicts heavy rains today

Chennai: Schools in Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur were closed on Monday as the Meteorological (Met) Department predicted heavy rains in the coastal areas due to a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal.

An inference of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the low-pressure area with an associated cyclonic circulation persists in the southwest Bay of Bengal and it is likely to become more marked.

Area Cyclone Warning Centre Director S Balachandran also said “The location of the low-pressure area in the southwest Bay of Bengal is unchanged. We expected heavy rain from Sunday. The wind pattern and its speed prevented the rainfall inland, as the rain poured into the sea. Due to this, dry weather prevailed over the state”.

Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani is on a six-day study tour to Australia even as rains continue to batter parts of the state. He went on the tour to study the latest flood mitigation techniques to import solutions for the flood-prone Tamil Nadu.

The opposition parties have criticised his trip amid the crisis in the state.

“This is the second time that the minister is under flak as earlier he stated that the TN was better than UK and US in handling the floods and now he is gone to visit Australia, at a time when Chennai is suffering monsoon woes,” said former Chennai mayor M Subramanian.

The minister should have postponed the visit or he should have visited Australia prior to the monsoon, he added.