Mumbai schools closed on August 20 notice is fake, says BMC

Mumbai has been receiving continuous heavy rainfall for the past three days, causing major disruptions in the city. Following the downpour, a message began circulating on social media claiming that schools and colleges in Mumbai and its suburbs would remain closed on Wednesday, 20 August.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), however, has clarified that this message is fake. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the civic body said, “This message is fake. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has not issued any such information through its official social media platforms.”

The BMC also shared a screenshot of the misleading message, which looked like an official post from the civic body’s verified account. The false message stated that schools and colleges would remain shut due to a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for extremely heavy rainfall.

हा संदेश खोटा आहे. बृहन्मुंबई महानगरपालिकेने आपल्या सोशल मीडियावरून अशी कोणतीही माहिती प्रसारित केलेली नाही. This message is fake. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has not issued any such information through its official social media platforms.#MyBMCUpdates… pic.twitter.com/hl0FYRouew

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) August 19, 2025

According to a PTI report, the BMC confirmed around midnight that the IMD had actually issued an orange alert for Mumbai on August 20, warning of heavy to very heavy rain at a few locations in the city as well as Thane and Palghar districts. A red alert was issued only for Raigad district.

However, in the latest update, IMD has placed a red alert for heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms in Palghar, Mumbai Suburban, Mumbai City, Thane, Pune and Raigad. The department has also warned that Mumbai is likely to receive heavy rainfall until Thursday, August 21, with showers continuing throughout the week.

Schools in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Panvel and Lonavala have been ordered to remain shut today due to the weather conditions. But for Mumbai city and its suburbs, schools will remain open, as no such holiday order has been issued by the BMC.

Meanwhile, Mumbai University postponed its 19 August examination due to the heavy rain warning. The exams have now been rescheduled for 23 August and will be held at the same timings as planned earlier.