Monsoon holidays announced in Himachal, 300 educational institutes affected

August 7, 2025

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.

#WATCH | Shimla | On the announcement of school closures for monsoon holidays, Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur says, “In some places, the monsoon holiday will begin. Last year, we decided that our district administration can fully make decisions at their… pic.twitter.com/JXTk0TdtdQ

— ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2025

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.