Chennai, Nov 11 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu school education department has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai and five other districts on Friday and Saturday following heavy rain forecast.

Holidays have been declared for educational institutions in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Vellore, and Ranipet districts after the IMD forecast of heavy rains.

The weather department has also issued a red alert for Ranipet, Tiruvallur, and Kancheepuram districts for November 11. A Red alert was issued in Dindigul, Theni, and The Nilgiris districts on November 12. This is following a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours.

Heavy to very heavy rains and extremely heavy rains are likely in some places in these districts on November 11 and 12.

Chennai city and surrounding areas are expected to receive thunderstorms and lighting along with heavy to very heavy rains in the next 48 hours. An orange alert has been issued for the city in the next 48 hours.

In a related development, several suburbs of Chennai including Iyyappanthangal, Porur and Mangad are inundated with water following the release of water from Chembarambakkam lake.

Officials of Kancheepuram district said that as more rains are expected, pumping could not be done to drain out water and that water would drain out eventually.

Activists and social workers said that this was a routine affair when rain hits the district. R. Balakrishnan, activist and social worker at Porur while speaking to IANS said: "This is becoming routine and if canals connecting the Porur lake were widened but nothing has happened even after many requests and petitions were submitted."