Red alert in Mumbai; local trains halted, offices shut due to heavy rains
A red alert has been issued for Mumbai as well as Thane, Pune, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra, after the cities experienced heavy rainfall on Monday (August 3), which is predicted to continue till Wednesday (August 5). According to reports, the heavy spell of rain has left several parts of Mumbai and nearby Thane inundated, disrupting traffic and local train services.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appealed to residents to stay at home and urged commercial establishments, except those providing essential services, to remain closed on Tuesday as heavy rains are likely to continue for next 48 hours.
Suburban train services on the harbour line were stopped in the morning due to waterlogging on rail tracks while services on the western and central lines were also affected, a civic official said. Local trains in Mumbai and suburbs are currently being operated only for those involved in essential services in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. A landslide near suburban Kandivali disrupted vehicular movement from western suburbs towards south Mumbai, the official said.
Traffic movement from Byculla to south Mumbai was also affected due to inundation at some places, he said. The Santacruz observatory in western suburbs recorded 254 mm rainfall since Monday night while the Colaba observatory in south Mumbai recorded 220 mm rain during the same period, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai, Deputy Director General K S Hosalikar said. The weather station at Mahalaxmi recorded 172 mm rain, while that at Vidyavihar reported 159 mm rain. Besides, the weather stations at Ram Mandir (near Goregaon in western suburbs) and Mira Road recorded a rainfall of 152 mm each. The other weather stations in north Mumbai and Thane also recorded over 150 mm rainfall.
The trend would continue for next 48 hours, the official said. The BMC has deployed high capacity water pumps to discharge water from streets in Byculla, Bhandup and some other areas, a civic official said. The civic body appealed to commercial and business establishments, except those involved in essential services, to remain shut in view of the heavy downpour. “Residents should also stay at home and avoid venturing out, the BMC said in a statement.
Private weather forecaster Skymet Weather has predicted high tide at 12.47 pm, advising Mumbaikars to avoid going out on August 4 and 5. Tides of a height of 4.51 m have been predicted.
(With inputs from agencies)
