Are you Enjoying Mid-day
Thank you for your valuable feedback
Help us improve further by providing more detailed feedback and stand a chance to win a 3-month e-paper subscription!
Note: Winners will be selected via a lucky draw.
Heavy rains, accompanied by cyclonic winds, lashed parts of Mumbai and neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts on Wednesday, affecting local train and bus services due to severe water-logging on rail tracks and roads.
Many parts of south Mumbai like Churchgate, Marine Lines, Marine Drive, Kalbadevi, Dongri, Byculla, Mazagaon, Parel, Dadar and surroundings witnessed heavy waterlogging, throwing the central business districts of the area out of gear.
The railway authorities suspended the suburban train operations between CSMT-Vashi stations on the Harbour line, CSMT-Kurla on the mainline and also between Churchgate and Kurla due to water-logging on tracks around Masjid Bunder, Kurla, Sion, Marine Line and other stations.
In picture: Pedestrians walk on the promenade of Girgaum Chowpatty.
The Western Railway also announced on Twitter that due to heavy rainfall, all local train services between Churchgate and Mumbai Central stations have been temporarily suspended till further orders.
In picture: A waterlogged street in Breach Candy.
Bus services of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), the city civic body's transport wing, were also affected due to inundation in several areas, leading them to divert more than 30 routes.
In picture: Two boys, sitting on the doorstep of their house, watch rains in Saath Rasta.
According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the western suburbs received 82.43 mm rain, followed by eastern suburbs (69.11 mm) and the island city (45.38 mm) since Tuesday night.
In picture: A motorist splashes water while driving on a waterlogged road as a woman looks on, in Worli.
South Mumbai was badly hit as heavy rains led to water-logging on several roads and low-lying areas and to make the situation worse, several trees fell due to gusty winds, damaging vehicles, officials said.
The India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Deputy Director-General of Meteorology, KS Hosalikar tweeted that monsoon is very active over Maharashtra and there has been a very intense development over the west coast with monsoon vigorous on North Konkan; including Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) commandant Rajendra Patil said that with respect to the red alert issued for Mumbai and its adjoining areas, teams have been deployed in Mumbai, Palghar and Thane to deal with any eventualities.
In picture: A motorist rides on a two-wheeler with balloons tied on his back seat, in Saath Rasta near Arthur Road Jail.
According to Skymet, Mumbai has already recorded 61 per cent of its monthly rainfall in the first five days of August. The city has received a cumulative rainfall of around 357 mm in five days against the monthly average of 585.2 mm.
In picture: Vehicles parked in a residential building compound submerged in Thakur Village, Kandivli.
Amid apprehensions of a 2005-like flood situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked people to stay indoors and venture out only for essential work in the wake of the heavy rains battering Mumbai.
Thackeray took stock of the situation and asked BMC to coordinate with the police and railway authorities, health machinery and NDRF to ensure that citizens do not face any hardships. The state government rushed 15 disaster relief teams for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur to help in any contingency.
A statement issued by the chief minister's office (CMO) also said that Thackeray directed the authorities to monitor the situation arising out of disruption of power supply, uprooting of trees and water-logging.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials were asked to ensure that there is no accident at the ongoing work at Metro Rail sites, the statement read.
A day after a landslide in Malad blocked the traffic on one side of the Western Express Highway, leading to a huge traffic jam, another portion of the hillock collapsed at the same spot on Wednesday. According to the police, no casualty was reported in the incident.
In picture: Civic workers clear the debris on the Western Express Highway in Malad.
In picture: A makeshift temple stands strong as vehicles are submerged in floodwater in Kurla.
With thousands of commuters getting stranded, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation said that it had made arrangements for people at 130 civic schools outside the major railway stations.
The IMD has forecast heavy to extremely heavy spells of rain in Mumbai and the coastal Konkan area in the next 24 hours.
In picture: A man covered his head with a plastic bag to protect himself from the rain while riding a bicycle.
In picture: Motorists and pedestrians wade through waterlogged streets while a man looks on from the window of a bus.
In picture: A tender coconut seller pushes his cart amid the heavy rains in Saath Rasta near Arthur Road Jail.
ADVERTISEMENT
