Monsoon holiday announced in Himachal Pradesh, over 300 educational institutions affected due to rain

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India]: August 7 (ANI): In view of widespread destruction caused by heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, the state government has announced monsoon holidays in several areas, with over 300 educational institutions affected.
Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the district administrations have been given the authority to declare local-level monsoon holidays wherever needed.
"In some places, the monsoon holiday will begin. Last year, we decided that our district administration can fully make decisions at their level...It is difficult for children to reach school, so at the local level, they can take their holidays, and many decisions have been made regarding this. Especially, several subdivisions of Mandi and Shimla have declared holidays...More than 300 of our educational institutions have been affected..." Thakur said.
The decision comes amid continuous rainfall across various districts, disrupting everyday life and affecting infrastructure, particularly in hilly and low-lying areas.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a fresh alert, warning that monsoon rains are likely to persist across Himachal Pradesh until August 12. Several districts are expected to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall due to the combined impact of the active southwest monsoon and a western disturbance.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Senior Scientist at the IMD Centre in Shimla, stated that the state experienced widespread rainfall in the past 24 hours.
"The intensity of rain over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the past 24 hours was due to the convergence of an active monsoon system and a western disturbance. This combination led to strong winds and localised cloud formation, which resulted in heavy to hefty rainfall in the hilly regions," Sharma said.
According to IMD data, heavy rainfall was recorded at isolated locations in districts including Solan, Mandi, Kangra, Bilaspur, Sirmaur and Chamba.
"Kasauli in Solan recorded the highest rainfall at 145 mm, followed by Gohar in Mandi with 120 mm. Several parts of Bilaspur also received significant rain," Sharma added.
The IMD has issued yellow alerts for heavy rainfall in Bilaspur, Kangra and Solan on August 6. On August 7 and 8, isolated heavy rainfall is expected in districts including Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla and Kullu. Rainfall is forecast to continue across the state from August 9 to 12, though the intensity may decrease slightly after August 9.
"The monsoon will remain active in Himachal Pradesh till August 12, with scattered rainfall continuing in different regions. Rain intensity is likely to dip marginally after the 9th, but precipitation will persist statewide," he further said.
Sharma also highlighted that visibility in areas like Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur remains low due to cloud cover and continuous rainfall.
"Visibility conditions in regions such as Shimla and Sirmaur have already been poor, and due to continuous rainfall and lookout cloud formation, these are expected to remain affected between August 6 and 12," he added.
According to IMD data, rainfall recorded till August 6 in Himachal Pradesh has been 77% above normal for this time of the month.
"Districts like Bilaspur, Solan, Una, Hamirpur, and Mandi have received up to 1.5 times more rainfall than usual so far in August," Sharma reported.
Only the Lahaul-Spiti district has recorded below-normal rainfall, whereas the rest of the state has either received normal or surplus precipitation. Since the beginning of the monsoon season on June 1, the state overall has received 18% more rainfall than the seasonal average.
The IMD has also issued flash flood warnings, particularly for parts of Mandi and surrounding regions, due to the ongoing heavy rain and increased risk of landslides and waterlogging in low-lying areas. (ANI)