Maharashtra rains: Red Alert issued for four districts as heavy showers continue

Heavy rainfall continued to affect several parts of Maharashtra prompting the India Meteorological Department IMD to issue a Red Alert for Nashik ghat areas Pune ghat areas Palghar and Raigad districts on TuesdayThe weather department has also issued an Orange Alert for Mumbai Thane Ratnagiri Nashik Satara ghat areas Akola and Amravati districts due to the possibility of heavy rainfall and strong windsFollowing the weather alerts several district administrations announced a holiday for schools and colleges as a precautionary measureEducational institutions remained closed in Mumbai Thane Palghar Raigad Ratnagiri Navi Mumbai KalyanDombivli Bhiwandi Nashik and rural areas of Pune Officials said the decision was taken considering the continuous rainfall over the last three days and the possibility of waterlogging in several areasMumbai remains on Orange AlertAfter witnessing continuous rainfall Mumbai saw a brief pause in heavy showers However the IMD has maintained an Orange Alert for the city forecasting heavy rain along with gusty windsAuthorities have advised residents to remain cautious as thick cloud cover continues over Mumbai despite the temporary reduction in rainfall intensityThe Mithi River is reportedly flowing at full capacity following heavy rainfall in the city and surrounding areas Earlier intense rain caused disruptions on all three suburban railway routes in MumbaiTrain services affected due to rainfallSuburban train services continued to face delays due to the impact of heavy rainfallOn Western Railway local trains were running around 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule Services between Vasai and Virar which were badly affected earlier have resumed However water accumulation on tracks in the VasaiVirar section continued to create operational challenges leading to the cancellation of some trainsCentral Railway services were also delayed by around 15 to 20 minutes while trains on the Harbour Line were operating with delays of nearly 10 to 15 minutesHeavy rain causes flooding in PalgharPalghar district witnessed severe disruption after intense rainfall caused flooding in several areas including VasaiVirar Saphale Kelve Palghar Boisar Manor and WadaOfficials said rivers and streams overflowed following continuous heavy rainfall The Tansa River reached the danger mark causing floodwaters to enter riverside villages and homes damaging essential supplies and propertyThe Vaitarna River near Manor also witnessed flooding leading to water entering nearby villages and submerging several roads Residential areas in Wada were also affectedTraffic movement on the MumbaiAhmedabad National Highway was disrupted near Dhekale after mudslides and heavy water flow from nearby hills affected the routeChief Minister reviews rain situationChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the situation and said there was a risk of extremely heavy rainfall in NashikWhen asked about implementing Work From Home directives due to the weather conditions CM Fadnavis stated On humanitarian grounds when a weather alert is issued it is expected that everyone responds to it responsiblyHe said holidays had already been declared for all nonessential services and warned that action would be taken against offices and establishments forcing employees to report to work despite official safety instructionsAuthorities continue to monitor rainfall conditions across Maharashtra as emergency teams remain on alert in vulnerable areasWith inputs from IANS