The Jharkhand government has ordered the closure of schools till October 29 in several districts in the wake of rainfall triggered by cyclone ‘Arnab’, which made landfall in the Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.Ranchi, West Singhbhum, East Singhbhum and Simdega district administrations said schools will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday.The weather system hit the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a “very severe” cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph. The landfall process started around 1.20 am, the IMD said.Districts like Ranchi, West Singhbhum and East Singhbhum have been experiencing intermittent rainfall since Tuesday night under the impact of the cyclone, it said.“In all government, government-aided and private schools operating within Ranchi district, academic activities for Classes KG to 12 shall remain suspended on October 28-29,” an official statement said.Abhishek Anand, Deputy Director at Ranchi Meteorological Centre, said light rainfall has been occurring in many districts of the state since Tuesday night due to accumulation of cyclonic clouds.“The major impact of the cyclone will be visible over Jharkhand between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday,” he said.The IMD has issued a ‘yellow alert’ (be updated) for heavy rainfall in Ranchi, Khunti, Simdega, Gumla, Lohardaga, Saraikela-Kharsawan, East Singhbhum and West Singhbhum for 24 hours from 8.30 am of Wednesday.The intensity of rainfall is likely to increase thereafter, with an ‘orange alert’ (be prepared) issued for Garhwa, Palamu, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum for 24 hours till 8.30 am on October 30, according to an IMD bulletin.An alert for heavy rainfall has also been sounded for Chatra, Koderma, Hazaribag, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Khunti, Saraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum for 24 hours from 8.30 am on October 29, it said.“The district administrations have been directed to remain vigilant and prepared to deal with adverse conditions,” Jharkhand Disaster Management Minister Irfan Ansari had said on Tuesday.Eight to nine districts of the state are likely to be impacted by the cyclone, he had said.
