Rain alert: Schools, colleges shut today in Ahmedabad, central & south Gujarat
The India Meteorological Department has warned of extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and squall for Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Anand, Narmada, Chhota Udepur, Bhavnagar, Botad, Bharuch, Valsad, Surat, Tapi, Dang, and Navsari.
4 min readAhmedabad, VadodaraUpdated: Jul 31, 2026 04:33 AM IST
The Surat municipal commissioner requested residents to watch out for unstable structures, stay protected from solar panels, and prune large trees. (Express Photo by
Bhupendra Rana)
In view of a red alert and a warning of heavy rain accompanied by high-velocity winds, all schools and colleges in Ahmedabad and the central Gujarat districts of Vadodara, Anand, and Kheda will remain closed on Friday, officials said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings of extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and squall for Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Anand, Narmada, Chhota Udepur, Bhavnagar, Botad, Bharuch, Valsad, Surat, Tapi, Dang, and Navsari on Friday.
As part of preventive measures, Surat district and city administrations began evacuating people living in low-lying areas.
Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan said in a video message on Thursday, “In view of the forecast of high-velocity winds, the Surat Municipal Corporation has begun checking the strength of hoardings, lowering levels of high-mast street lights and closing certain roads, as part of safety measures.”
Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been kept ready.
The municipal commissioner requested residents to watch out for unstable structures on their premises, stay protected from solar panels, and prune large trees.
Surat District Collector Tejas Parmar said local bodies had been asked to bring down hoardings in the rural areas. He requested cattle herders to keep their livestock in the open and “not tied to poles”, so that they find safe places on their own.
District administrations invoke emergency powers
Story continues below this ad
District Education Officers of Ahmedabad East, West, and Rural also issued closure orders for all schools and colleges following directives issued by the Ahmedabad collector under emergency powers.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation announced that all anganwadis would remain closed till August 3.
Vadodara District Magistrate Anil Dhameliya issued a closure order on Thursday, citing the IMD’s red alert for heavy to extremely heavy rain and the need to prevent “any untoward incident”. The order covers anganwadis, primary and secondary schools, higher secondary schools, ITIs, and colleges across all talukas, including urban Vadodara.
In Kheda district, District Magistrate N V Upadhyay cited an IMD orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain likely accompanied by thunderstorms and squally winds between July 31 and August 1. The DM ordered the closure of all anganwadis, government and private primary and secondary schools, higher secondary schools, ITIs, colleges and other educational institutions across the district, including its urban areas, for both days.
Story continues below this ad
In neighbouring Anand district, the administration placed its machinery on red alert after the IMD forecast heavy to extremely heavy rain there too, with further heavy spells expected in the upper catchment of the Mahi river. The collector held a review meeting with disaster management teams, identifying 39 villages—26 along the Mahi and 13 along the Sabarmati—for focused monitoring, where warning sirens were tested on Wednesday evening.
Officials of Anand said that similar closure directives have been issued to educational institutions in the district.
Violations to attract penal action
The directions carry penal consequences, with the police authorised to file complaints against violators for disobeying an order duly promulgated by a public servant.
Residents of low-lying areas in Anand as well as Dahod district have been asked to prepare in advance, with shelters being readied, cattle advised to be kept untethered, and people cautioned against leaning trees, hoardings, unstable structures, and waterbodies amid forecasts of strong winds.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
Ritu Sharma is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express' Gujarat bureau, an editorial position that reflects her experience and Authority in regional journalism. With over a decade of concentrated reporting experience, she is a highly Trustworthy and specialized journalist, especially noted for her Expertise in the education sector across Gujarat and previously Chandigarh.
Expertise
Primary Authority (Education): With over ten years of dedicated reporting on education in both Gujarat and Chandigarh, Ritu Sharma is a foremost authority on educational policy, institutional governance, and ground realities from "KG to PG." Her coverage includes:
Higher Education: In-depth scrutiny of top institutions like IIM-Ahmedabad (controversies over demolition/restoration of heritage architecture), IIT-Bombay (caste discrimination issues), and new initiatives like international branch campuses in GIFT City.
Schooling & Policy: Detailed coverage of government schemes (Gyan Sadhana School Voucher Scheme), the implementation and impact of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, teacher recruitment issues, and the impact of national policies like the NEP.
Student Welfare: Reporting on critical issues such as suicide allegations due to caste discrimination, and the challenges faced by students (e.g., non-delivery of NAMO tablets). ... Read More
