Nine personnel stranded on the rooftop of a building were rescued after Mi17 helicopter airlifted them
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After heavy rains lashed out suburban areas of Mumbai several people have been stranded across Kalyan. According to ANI report, as many as 300 stranded people were rescued by security forces. Indian Army along with Indian Air Force conducted the operation on Saturday.
Reports also suggested that nine personnel stranded on the rooftop of a building were rescued after Mi17 helicopter airlifted them. Also, Army, Navy and Air Force teams provided packed food and water to all the rescued personnel.
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In a separate operation, security forces rescued around 115 people who were stranded for hours at a petrol pump which got submerged in water due to the overflowing of Ulhas river.
On the other hand, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted that Raigad, Thane, Palghar and some parts of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra will witness heavy rainfall at isolated places during the weekend.
The airport cargo complex area of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Sahar was left flooded after Friday's downpour, even as water started seeping through the T2 ceiling.
According to sources within the airport, "A few flights were diverted, leading to some chaos at the vertical terminal building—where passengers line up to board. When water started seeping in, housekeeping staff tired to mop it, finally putting buckets under false ceilings."
Roshan Khetal, a local political worker, who stays close to the airport, said, "The housekeeping staff at the airport said the situation continued into Saturday morning, but the problem was at the cargo section." Khetal says that on Friday, due to the rains, the cargo area was in knee-deep water, especially around the truck parking area, which is a low lying area, gets flooded easily.
Also Read: Mumbai Rains: Train services from Kalyan to Karjat suspended
The helpers, said Khetal, had a tough time lifting the cargo from the ground to place them at higher rakes in order to avoid damage. "The Sahar nullah which is close to the cargo complex and connects to Mithi river was also overflowing," he added. Nicolas Almeida, a former corporator and resident of Sahar, said, "The need of the hour is to have a corrective plan put in place to curtail the flooding problem."
An MIAL spoke person said in an official statement, "Due to the inclement weather conditions and the extreme heavy downpour of rain in Mumbai on July 26, 2019, though delayed there were continuous operations at the Mumbai International Airport. A few flights were diverted. With non-stop rain, we did observe waterlogging at the landside area. The situation was immediately addressed by MIAL's on-duty staff and they were relentlessly on the ground to curb the situation so that the passengers could commute hassle-free. Within a few minutes, the issue was addressed and subsequently, the water level was brought down with de-watering pumps."
Also Read: Mumbai Rains: 17 flights diverted at airport as rains lash city
With inputs from ANI
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