A local train passes over the top of Andheri Subway as the IMD issued Red alert for Mumbai Metropolitan Region in Mumbai. File
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

Commuters wade through waterlogged LBS Road at Kurla West, in Mumbai. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Commuters wade through a waterlogged street after heavy rain, in Mumbai. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Mumbai:

Vehicular and rail traffic in Mumbai resumed on Thursday, a day after heavy rain battered the city, inundating low-lying areas, halting local trains in their tracks and forcing the diversion of at least 14 incoming flights. A 45-year-old woman drowned in a drain overflowing due to heavy rains in suburban Andheri on Wednesday, police said.

The police helped a woman, who was in her ninth month of pregnancy, reach a hospital in Ghatkopar after she was unable to find a vehicle to go there due to heavy rains at night, an official said.

Rains stopped in most parts of the city on Thursday morning though skies were overcast.

Local trains, considered the lifeline of Mumbai, were running normally though some services were slightly delayed, as per officials.

Buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking also hit the roads since early morning.

The India Meteorological Department earlier issued a red alert for Mumbai and its adjoining districts Thane, Palghar, and Raigad for Thursday morning.

The civic body said the IMD has predicted “thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and heavy to very heavy rainfall with gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph” in its weather update issued at 8 am.

The extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai on Wednesday prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to announce a holiday for all schools and colleges on Thursday.

Schools and colleges in Thane, Palghar, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad were also closed on Thursday after heavy rains.

The Mumbai civic body and police have advised people in the city and surrounding areas to stay indoors as much as possible.

“Mumbaikars, if not required, avoid stepping out of home,” the BMC posted on X.

After heavy rains on Wednesday, some roads, including in Sonapur area of Bhandup, virtually turned into rivers of fast-moving water as several areas received more than 100 mm of rain in five hours of evening.

The Ghatkopar-Andheri Road, Khairani Road, LBS Marg and a few other roads were flooded with chest-deep water at some locations.

Many people complained their belongings were damaged as water had entered their homes.

As local trains stopped on Wednesday between Kurla and Thane stations on the Central line, thousands of commuters were stranded at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and other stations, while there were traffic jams at various places.

The Central Railway’s suburban services were thrown out of gear at night for a few hours, when the railway tracks got submerged at a few locations between Sion and Thane stations on its main corridor and between Chunabhatti and Mankhurd stations on the Harbour corridor.

A Maharashtra Security Force personnel deputed at Kalachowki police station told PTI that he boarded a fast train from Thane station for Byculla (in Mumbai) at 8 pm on Wednesday and reached Chinchpokli station at 12.55 am (normally covered in 45 minutes).

Amid the showers, police helped a pregnant woman reach a hospital after she was unable to find a vehicle to go there.

“I appreciate the commendable work done by the Pant Nagar Pstn officials & staff who helped a 9-month pregnant lady reach the hospital safely,” Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar said on his X handle.

“At 10.45 pm, due to heavy rains, the pregnant lady was unable to find a vehicle for hospital. Finding her in distress our patrolling Pant Nagar Mobile 1 van, helped her reach Rajawadi Hospital safely,” he added.

The Mithi river along with other water bodies and drains had swelled after extremely heavy rains.

On Wednesday night, the Mithi river rose to its maximum level of 3.90 metres. On Thursday morning, it was flowing at 1.5 metres, the BMC said.

In the 24 hour-period ending at 8 am on Thursday, the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded 117.18 mm, 170.58 mm and 108.75 mm rainfall, respectively.

Between 5 pm and 10 pm, the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs received 87.79 mm, 167.48 mm, and 95.57 mm downpour, respectively.

Mankhurd and Powai areas in eastern suburbs recorded more than 275 mm rains during the period, as per BMC data.

Mumbai municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has asked all assistant commissioners to ensure that respective executive engineers stay put in ward control rooms.

Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said, “All local trains are running normally. On the main line 3-4 minutes behind schedule because of rescheduled Mail, Express (train) movements and few cautions. Rest all normal.” Western Railway’s suburban services, which were mostly unaffected as there was no waterlogging on tracks anywhere between Churchgate and Virar stations, were also running normally since morning, an official said.

A BEST spokesperson also said their operations were normal, though 28 buses, including seven hired from private contractors, broke down due to waterlogging at some roads in the city. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Mumbai and its neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts and many other parts of Maharashtra are expected to receive heavy rainfall over the next four to five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.

The Met office issued an orange alert forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts of Konkan from August 24 (Saturday) onwards.

“The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in some areas of Mumbai city and its suburbs in the next 3-4 hours. Citizens are advised to be cautious,” the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in an SMS alert to citizens on Saturday morning.

The IMD has also issued an orange alert for the Pune and Satara districts of western Maharashtra and Amravati, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gondia districts of Vidarbha for Saturday.

An orange alert warns of heavy rainfall exceeding 64.5 mm in 24 hours, potentially disrupting normal life and causing flooding in low-lying areas.

A yellow alert, predicting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and light-to-moderate rainfall with gusty winds of 30-40 kmph speed, has been issued for Saturday in several districts barring a few in western Maharashtra and Marathwada.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for some districts of Konkan and western Maharashtra on August 25 and 26 as well.

A low-pressure area over northern parts of West Bengal and adjoining areas of northeast Jharkhand and another over east central Arabian Sea off the Maharashtra coast will bring rain to most parts of Maharashtra in the next 48 hours, an IMD scientist told Press Trust of India.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Heavy rain overnight pounded large parts of Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), affecting suburban and long-distance trains, roads, and highways. This deluge stranded lakhs of commuters on their way to work on the first working day of the week and led to the closure of schools for the morning session.

In just six hours, several areas in the city recorded a staggering 200 mm to 300 mm of rainfall from 1 am to 7 am, according to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The downpour persisted, with a forecast predicting heavy rain for the next two days.

#WATCH | Waterlogging triggered by heavy rain in King’s Circle area of Mumbai pic.twitter.com/v4ByKwhb3h

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

The city’s residents woke up to waterlogged roads, railway tracks, flooded low-lying areas, water in homes, shops, or offices, blocked subways, and many places rendered inaccessible for commuting.

#WATCH | Pedestrians and vehicles cross heavily waterlogged streets at King’s Circle amid rains in Mumbai

A commuter says, “My car is stuck on the road. There is no point in blaming the government for the rains. The government is doing its job.” pic.twitter.com/2v16Osb8NZ

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

The weather office has predicted light to moderate spell of rainfall over Mumbai today. NDRF teams have been deployed in Thane, Vasai ( Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara Ghatkopar, Kurla and Sindhudurg.

NDRF said it has also deployed three regular teams at Andheri and one team at Nagpur to “avert any untoward incident and give an appropriate response in case of any flood-like situation.”

Commuters also encountered delays or cancellations of suburban local trains – Mumbai’s lifeline, which transports over 8.50 million people daily. Huge crowds gathered at almost all railway stations along the Central Railway and Western Railway networks spanning Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad (MMR).

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Heavy rain in Mumbai causes waterlogging.

(Visuals from Dadar area) pic.twitter.com/Drx0FY6wEV

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

Additionally, crucial trains that ferry thousands of commuters on the Mumbai-Gujarat, Mumbai-Pune, and Mumbai-Kolhapur routes faced cancellations, massive delays, or became stranded at stations en route.

Within Mumbai, several subways, including those in Santacruz, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Malad, Kandivali, and Dahisar, were inundated with 3-5 feet of water, halting east-west traffic. Railway tracks were flooded near Kalyan, Dombivali, Ulhasnagar, Thane, Bhandup, Kurla, Sion, and Wadala, further impacting suburban train services.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Severe waterlogging in different parts of Mumbai, following incessant heavy rainfall. pic.twitter.com/O6VUuYOknr

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

Several housing complexes in Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Jogeshwari, Andheri, Santacruz, Sion, Wadala, Kurla, Ghatkopar, and Bhandup experienced severe waterlogging. Scores of vehicles, both big and small, were either stuck or partially to fully submerged in different areas of the city. There were numerous incidents of tree falls and other minor accidents, though no casualties have been reported so far.