Amid heavy rainfall in parts of Pune district, the local administration on Monday, July 8, announced a holiday for students of all schools and junior colleges (up to Class XII) on Tuesday, July 9, today. The administration released a statement in this regard after Pune collector Suhas Divase issued guidelines amid heavy rainfall in parts of the district in western Maharashtra.

To avoid any untoward incident due to downpours and to prevent emergencies from affecting students, all schools up to Class XII in the district will remain closed today, July 9, said the statement, as stated in a report by PTI. However, all principals, teachers and non-teaching staff should report for duty and carry out disaster management work, it added.

The district collector also appealed to citizens to step out of their homes only if necessary.

Similarly, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, TMC, and those in Panvel and Navi Mumbai have issued notifications regarding the closure of schools today.

In a statement issued late Monday evening, July 8, the BMC said all civic, government and private schools and colleges will be shut as a precautionary measure due to the heavy rainfall warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has issued a red alert for Mumbai, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the city.