Chennai: In response to persistent and heavy rainfall lashing the city and neighbouring regions, district authorities have declared a holiday for all schools in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts on Thursday, December 4.

The decision, aimed at ensuring student safety, was announced by Chennai District Collector, Dr. Rashmi Siddharth Zagade, and Tiruvallur District Collector, A. Pratap, separately. The move follows a holiday already in place for educational institutions on Wednesday.

The intense rainfall, attributed to the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, has been affecting several districts of North Tamil Nadu for the past three days. In Chennai, the downpour has led to waterlogging in many low-lying areas, disrupting normal life.

Official sources stated that the continuous heavy rain forecast and existing ground conditions prompted the precautionary measure. “Considering the safety of students, schools in Chennai will remain closed tomorrow, Thursday only,” the Chennai district administration confirmed.

Echoing the sentiment, Tiruvallur Collector Pratap cited widespread rainfall across the district and ongoing heavy rain warnings from the Meteorological Department as the reason for the holiday declaration. “Only schools in Tiruvallur district will be declared a holiday tomorrow for the safety of students,” he stated.

Meanwhile, government and civic corporation teams are engaged in continuous relief and water-drainage operations across affected areas to mitigate the impact of the flooding.