All private, government schools, colleges and anganwadis will continue to remain shut in parts of Maharashtra due to heavy rainfall on Tuesday, August 19. BMC's District Disaster Management Authority has announced holiday for all schools in Mumbai and its suburbs as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alert for second consecutive day warning of extremely heavy rainfall in city.
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has also announced holiday today for the same. While it must be noted that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared a half-day holiday today for students and not for teachers. The advisory applies to all, including pre-primary, primary, secondary, and higher secondary -- whether they are government-aided or unaided, and private institutions. This step ensures students' safety amid continuous heavy rainfall for the fourth day, which leads to waterlogging in several areas.
A holiday for schools and colleges was also declared by the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) within its jurisdiction in view of heavy downpours.
Also Read | Thane Schools and Colleges Closed on August 19 Amid IMD's Red Alert for Heavy Rain.
The Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation issued a notification amid continued rainfall and a red alert issued by IMD. As a safety measure for students, a holiday has been declared for all schools today. This applies to all types of schools across all mediums and managements within the Bhiwandi Municipal area.
Civic bodies in Maharashtra have taken this decision considering weather conditions and to ensure students' safety to avoid unexpected incidents. A similar notification declaring a holiday for schools was issued by civic authorities in Palghar and Raigad districts of the state.
The weather bureau sounded red and orange alert in Maharashtra. Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Pune Ghat, Satara Ghat, Ratnagiri, and Kolhapur Ghat are threatened by heavy to very heavy downpours today.
IMD sounded an orange alert for Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Amravati, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
Meanwhile, at least seven people have died in various rain-related incidents in Maharashtra as heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in many parts of the state. On Monday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said over 200 people were stranded in several districts.
"So far, 7 lives have been lost. Some rivers in Konkan have risen to an alarming level, and Jalgaon has reported extensive losses," CM Fadnavis said in a post on X after reviewing the rainfall situation at a meeting in the state secretariat.
The state government has deployed the Indian Army, NDRF, and SDRF teams for rescue operations as a cloudburst-like situation has arisen in several districts.