The Gujarat government has ordered the closure of all schools, and colleges in Narmada district today, September 18 due to flooding. The district administration has issued a notification to keep all educational institutions shut following reports of flooding in many villages of the Narmada district after water was released from the Narmada dam, according to india.com.

The India Meteorological Department has also predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the Gujarat region, surpassing 204.4 mm, from September 17 to 18. It further stated the possibility of extremely heavy downpours (more than 204.4 mm) on September 19.

Schools have been shut in several areas including Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh due to torrential rains. All private and government schools were closed in the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh on September 16 due to heavy rains, keeping in mind the safety of the children, the collector had said. While schools in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow remained closed earlier due to heavy rain and lightning. Schools in Barabanki and Lakhimpur Kheri were directed to remain shut.

On the other hand, the Kerala government has directed all educational institutes to remain closed to contain the spread of the Nipah virus infection. The Kozhikode administration identified seven village areas as containment zones to control the situation. Kerala’s education minister, V Sivankutty, has ordered all schools and colleges within the seven containment zones to remain closed. Nipah virus infection can cause mild to severe illness. In severe cases, it can lead to significant brain swelling (encephalitis) and, in some cases, even death. Kozhikode District Collector A Geetha listed the panchayats declared as containment zones which included Atanchery, Maruthonkara, Tiruvallur, Kuttiyadi, Kayakkodi, Villyapalli, and Kavilumpara.