The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Monday announced a two-day holiday for all schools in the region on August 18 and 19 due to continuous heavy rainfall and a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
An official notification said that the decision applies to all types of schools under every management and medium — including pre-primary, primary, secondary, and higher secondary — whether they are government-aided or unaided, and private institutions.
“The announcement was made to ensure the safety of students during the extreme weather conditions affecting Thane city. The Thane Municipal Commissioner issued the directive after reviewing alerts from the State Emergency Centre and the Regional Meteorological Centre in Colaba, Mumbai,” officials said.
They said that the school authorities have been instructed to make sure that students attending afternoon sessions on Monday are sent home safely. Teachers and staff have been asked to stay at the school premises until all children have safely reached home.
Any scheduled training programmes, exams, or school activities planned for August 18 and 19 should be rescheduled and completed later as per school-level planning. All students and parents must be informed immediately of the school closure through appropriate channels, the notification said.
Meanwhile, schools in parts of Mumbai began sending students home early due to heavy rainfall and the risk of waterlogging around school premises.
Schools across Dadar, Mahim, and Sion were sending students home early after heavy rains continued to lash Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis on Monday said that Mumbai received 177 millimetres (mm) of rain in a 6-8 hour period on Monday and asked citizens to observe all precautions since more is expected through the day along with high tides, reported the PTI.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai after reviewing the rain and flood situation across Maharashtra, CM Fadnavis said that waterlogging is being witnessed in 14 places in the metropolis.
CM Devendra Fadnavis has appealed to residents to exercise caution and avoid stepping out unnecessarily.
In light of the worsening weather, government offices were instructed to allow employees to leave by 4 pm, ahead of expected high tides between 6:30 pm and 7 pm, likely to reach 3 to 4 metres. A decision regarding school closures on Tuesday will be made depending on conditions, the CM added, according to the PTI.
