Thane, Bhiwandi, Palghar and Raigad district in Maharashtra on Monday announced a holiday for all schools on August 19 due to heavy rainfall and a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

An official notification by the Thane Municipal Corporation 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.