Many of complaints, but no major chaos: Mumbai handles rains better this time

Mumbai witnessed heavy rainfall on Friday resulting in widespread waterlogging and traffic snarls especially along arterial routes such as the Western Express Highway and SV Road The India Meteorological Department IMD issued an orange alert for the city for Friday and Saturday warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas Other coastal districts like Palghar Thane Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg were also placed under orange alert while Raigad received a red alert indicating extremely heavy rain at isolated spotsPicAtul KambleAs the city coped with relentless rain the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporationrsquos Disaster Management Department reported receiving nearly 5000 monsoonrelated calls in the past two days ldquoMost of these calls were about waterlogging road closures and traffic congestion No major distress calls have been reportedrdquo said a BMC officialAndheri Kurla Vakola Goregaon and Malad experienced significant waterlogging on Friday morning The Andheri subway was closed thrice due to water accumulation of up to 2 feetmdashat 8 am 10 am and 2 pm Traffic was diverted to Gokhale and Balasaheb Thackeray flyovers resulting in jams on the Western Express Highway especially around Jogeshwari and VikhroliPedestrians navigate between slowmoving traffic and waterlogged roads outside Bandra station PicSayyed Sameer AbediRainfall data from BMC shows that as of Friday morning the Colaba observatory recorded 9242 mm of rain since the onset of the monsoon 4411 per cent of the annual average Santacruz logged 11763 mm or 5072 per cent of its yearly average In comparison by the same date in 2024 Colaba had received 18157 mm 8667 per cent and Santacruz had seen 19109 mm 8240 per cent Between Monday July 20 and Friday July 25 Colaba recorded 1894 mm and Santacruz 3787 mm of rainfallIn the 24hour period between Thursday and Friday the city reportedgtgt 10 short circuitsgtgt 11 tree collapsesgtgt 2 partial wall collapsesFortunately no injuries were reported in any of these incidentsTraffic cops help commuters navigate through the flood street at Kingrsquos Circle Pic By Special ArrangementTransport amp traffic updatesRailwaysCentral Railway300plus train services delayed by over 5 minutes 20 delayed by over 10 minutes and 15ndash20 cancelledTrains ran at reduced speeds of 70ndash90 kmph vs the allowed 110 kmph due to poor visibility especially along the KalyanKasaraKarjat corridors and the ghat sectionWestern RailwayMostly on time barring minor morning delays due to latearriving longdistance trainsHarbour lineTrains saw 10ndash15minute delays during peak hoursBMC workers check the water level on a flooded road during rain at Andheri subway in Mumbai PicPTITrafficJoint Commissioner of Police Traffic Anil Kumbhare told midday ldquoDespite continuous rains there were no major traffic jams Wersquore monitoring hotspots like Andheri and Milan subways to prevent accidents and have not had to enforce major diversions yetrdquoAndheriGoregaonVeera Desai Road was waterlogged over a 100metre stretch causing inconvenience to locals Waterlogging was also reported on Oshiwara Bridge with traffic police deployed to manage the situationOn the Western Express Highway southbound traffic between Goregaon and Jogeshwari was smooth around 3 pm while the northbound side moved slowly frustrating commutersTwo friends share an umbrella in Ballard Estate PicAshish RajeKalyanDombivliIntermittent rain continued on Friday but no major disruptions were reported Local trains were delayed by 5ndash10 minutes A minor drainage chokeup on Chedda Road in Dombivli East was cleared quickly Some congestion was reported on Tilak Road due to potholesNavi MumbaiModerate to heavy rainfall lashed the region The highest rainfalls were recorded atKoperkhairane 10030 mmDigha 91 mmAiroli 8980 mmWaterlogging was reported in Nerul and Airoli while traffic slowed to a crawl on the SionPanvel highway Long jams were seen in Nerul Belapur and near the Turbhe flyoverSujit Nair a resident of Sector 20 Nerul said ldquoIt took me over an hour to reach Nerul from Vashi double the usual timerdquoPriyanka Naik a commuter from Seawoods to Vashi added ldquoTrains were delayed and autos were charging double I missed my shift at workrdquoThe NMMC Disaster Management Unit remained on high alert working closely with fire health and solid waste teams to prevent serious floodingNMMC Commissioner Kailas Shinde urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel if heavy rains continueIMD chief saysIn a QampA IMD Mumbai chief Shubhangi Bhute explains current downpour why the city lags behind last yearrsquos rainfall and when showers will let upWhat is causing this spell of heavy rainBhute An orange alert has been issued for Mumbai on Friday and Saturday Mumbai also experienced heavy rainfall on Thursday This is due to a lowpressure area over the Bay of Bengal along with an active offshore trough near coastal Maharashtra As a result the entire coastal and interior region of Maharashtra is witnessing heavy rainfallWill the rain subside next weekBhute The orange alert remains in place for Friday and Saturday A yellow alert is issued for Sunday with moderate rain forecasted for Monday and Tuesday We expect the intensity to reduce after SaturdayDespite multiple heavy rain days why is Mumbai still behind last yearrsquos rainfall figuresBhute Rural parts of Maharashtra have received significant rainfall fulfilling nearly 80 per cent of their seasonal average which is helping lake levels rise Around Mumbai this pattern is visible too If current synoptic conditions persist Mumbai can expect better rainfall in the coming weeks Although the monsoon arrived early this year initial atmospheric conditions were not conducive to heavy rainBMC statementldquoOver 10000 civic personnel are currently deployed across Mumbai to handle waterlogging and other monsoonrelated issues Department heads engineers pump operators and staff from the health and sanitation departments as well as emergency teams are on the ground responding to the situation in real timerdquoMunicipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has instructed assistant commissioners of all wards to remain at their offices and monitor the situation closely The BMC also confirmed that Gagrani is personally overseeing operations from the Disaster Management Control RoomRailwaysSome trains ran five to 10 minutes late while a few had to be cancelledRoadsVeera Desai Road was waterlogged over a 100metre stretch causing inconvenience to motoristsTrafficlsquoDespite continuous rain there were no major traffic jams Wersquore monitoring hotspots like Andheri and Milan subways to prevent accidents and have not had to enforce major diversions yetrsquo Joint Commissioner of Police Traffic Anil KumbhareNo deaths or injuries10Short circuits2Partial wall collapses11Tree collapsesRainfall this weekBetween Monday July 20 and Friday July 25 Colaba recorded 1894 mm and Santacruz 3787 mm of rainfall10KNo of BMC personnel deployed across city to handle waterlogging other monsoonrelated issues