Chennai:
Schools and colleges in Chennai and its adjoining districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur have declared a holiday today due to heavy rain.
The two districts and parts of Chennai received four to six centimetres of rain till 5:30 this morning.
Although the downpour has stopped, Metrological Department officials have predicted few spells of rain throughout the day due to low pressure over south east and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal.
At least 30 people have died over the last one month in rain-related incidents across Tamil Nadu. The rain, part of the north east monsoon, is crucial for irrigation and recharging the ground water table in the state.
Some of the small reservoirs in the state have reached their capacity. Storage in others including the Mettur Dam is on the rise. Water in the Mullaperiyar Dam too has crossed the 139 feet mark for the first time in 35 years. Recently, the Supreme Court had allowed raising the water storage capacity in this dam upto 142 feet.