Schools and colleges will be shut in Mumbai on Thursday given a forecast for heavy rainfall in the city and its neighbouring areas, the Brihanmumbai Corporation announced this evening. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has upgraded its ‘orange alert’ to a ‘red alert’ for Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. Meanwhile, an ‘orange alert’ remains for Palghar and Thane.
“Considering the safety of students as a top priority, the Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Dr Iqbal Singh Chahal has declared a holiday for all Municipal, Government and Private primary, secondary and higher secondary schools and all colleges in the Mumbai City and Suburbs, on tomorrow Thursday, 27 July 2023,” the BMC stated.
The Mumbai civic body also urged citizens to stay alert, stay indoors and follow the instructions of the administration.
According to the latest IMD forecast, heavy to very heavy rain will persist in Mumbai from 8 PM today till Thursday afternoon. Subsequently, rainfall will continue under an ‘orange alert’. In Ratnagiri, the weather department has issued a ‘red alert’ for Thursday as well. Meanwhile, rains will continue in these Maharashtra districts till Sunday.
Incessant rain lashed the maximum city on Wednesday, disrupting road traffic even as services of suburban trains remained more or less normal with slight delays. Mumbai city received 61.19 mm of rainfall between 8 am and 4 pm today, while eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded 34.53 mm and 40.68 mm of rainfall, respectively, during the same period.
Andheri subway, an underpass between Andheri and Jogeshwari railway stations, was closed for traffic a couple of times since morning due to waterlogging, but other areas in the metropolis didn't report any major inundation during the day.
