Heavy rains disrupt Mumbai Airport operations; trains and schools affected too

Heavy rains in Mumbai caused significant delays on Monday including the suspension of runway operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport CSMIA which impacted aircraft schedules and local train services and forced school closuresHeavy rain and low visibility necessitated the suspension of runway operations at CSMIA from 222 to 340 am diverting 27 aircraft to Ahmedabad Hyderabad and Indore According to PTIs airport sources arriving flights are currently given top priorityIn their latest social media post the CSMIA issued an advisory for passengers urging them to check their flight status with the respective airlinesIn light of the inclement weather and forecast of heavy to very heavy rains MumbaiAirport advises all the passengers to check their flight status with their respective airlines and leave for the airport a little earlier PassengerAdvisory GatewayToGoodness Travel Safety pictwittercompIRK52MRFrmdash CSMIA CSMIA_Official July 8 2024Impact on TransportationThe PTI report further stated tha the local train services on Central Railways fast line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT and Thane were suspended due to waterlogging following heavy rains in Mumbai Suburban services were limited to the slow line causing delays and heavy commuter congestionHarbour corridor services were temporarily halted at Chunnabhati due to water accumulation Western Railway trains were running up to 10 minutes late between Matunga Road and DadarMeanwhile at least 40 bus routes in the city and suburbs were either diverted or curtailed due to waterlogging Local train services experienced significant delays and key roads faced traffic congestion the report addedSchool and College ClosuresFurthermore the report stated that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC declared a holiday for all civic government and private schools and colleges to prevent inconvenience to studentsEmergency ResponseThe BMC anticipating severe waterlogging issued warnings and deployed teams to manage the situationThe civic agency is actively monitoring the situation with senior officials and wardlevel staff on the ground Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani is overseeing operations from the disaster management control room PTI reportedReportedly the BMC has appealed to citizens to stay cautious avoid nonessential travel and report emergencies through their control numbersSimultaneously the National Disaster Response Force NDRF stationed teams in critical areas like Kurla Ghatkopar and other parts of Maharashtra including Thane Vasai Palghar Mahad Raigad Chiplun Ratnagiri Kolhapur Sangli Satara and SindhudurgWeather ForecastThe India Meteorological Department IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall for Mumbai The city is expected to face a high tide of 440 meters at 157 pm which combined with the heavy rains could exacerbate waterlogging in lowlying areas The IMD issued a Nowcast warning at around 1015 am forecasting moderate to heavy rain for the next three hours and heavy rainfall at isolated places in the next 24 hours the report addedRainfall StatisticsMumbai recorded over 300 mm of rainfall at various locations between 1 am and 7 am The island city saw an average of 11563 mm while the eastern and western parts received 16868 mm and 16593 mm respectively Govandi and Powai in eastern Mumbai recorded the highest rainfall with 3156 mm and 3145 mm respectively In the western parts Malpa Dongri in Andheri and Chakala received 2922 mm and 2782 mm respectively