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Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi announced on Wednesday that precautionary measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of students and staff during the current rainy season. Speaking to reporters, Poyyamozhi mentioned that teachers have been instructed to strictly follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) during heavy rainfall. “Usually, during the rainy season, teachers in schools are given instructions on SOPs — for instance, if water stagnates, they must contact the nearby Public Works Department (PWD) officer to drain it using a motor; and if there are borewells, they should be properly covered,” he explained. He also noted that orders have been issued for school inspections to identify and fix any electrical leakages to prevent accidents, reported ANI. Furthermore, the minister stated that District Collectors across the state have been authorised to declare school holidays based on the intensity of rainfall and local conditions. Several districts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry continued to experience heavy rainfall today, as a well-marked low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal showed signs of intensification, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC). The system, which moved northwestward from off the north coast of Sri Lanka, was centred near the Tamil Nadu coast on Wednesday morning. All schools in Chennai were closed on Wednesday due to a heavy rain warning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20cm) over south peninsular India during 22nd-24th with extremely heavy falls (≥ 21cm) over North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on October 22. Meanwhile, another well-marked low-pressure area over the southeast Arabian Sea has intensified into a depression. This system is positioned about 630 km west-southwest of Aminidivi (Lakshadweep) and 1020 km southwest of Panjim (Goa). Widespread rainfall has already been reported across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
