Officers were forced to work in drenched uniforms at Turbhe police station as rainwater entered premises; vendors forced to sell vegetables at half price
Passageway inside the Turbhe police station with ankle-deep water. PICS/AMARJEET SINGH
Heavy rain brought life to a crawl in Navi Mumbai on Monday, exposing the city’s recurring monsoon troubles. Among the worst-hit was the Turbhe police station, where water seeped inside the premises despite a retaining wall built earlier this year. Officers continued to work in wet uniforms, highlighting the urgent need for a new police station building.
Senior Police Inspector Aabasaheb Patil admitted the situation has become a yearly ordeal. “Every monsoon, we face the same problem. The wall built outside helped a little, but only a new building will solve this permanently,” he said. A constable, on the condition of anonymity, added, “We attend to citizens with our clothes drenched. It is not easy, but duty cannot stop for rain.”
The downpour also caused severe waterlogging across several nodes. The Ulwe-Belapur stretch near the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport was submerged, forcing motorists to push stalled vehicles through knee-deep water. Tulsi Sahu, a commuter from Ulwe, said, “It took me more than two hours to cover a 20-minute stretch. If this is happening before the airport is even operational, I fear what the future holds.”
The flooded street near APMC market
Traffic on Sion-Panvel highway came to a standstill during the downpour, with vehicles stuck in long snarls for over an hour. Commuters said the highway resembled a parking lot, as cars, buses, and trucks barely moved for several metres. At Juinagar station, commuters waded through ankle-deep water to reach platforms. Ramesh Yadav, a daily wage worker, said, “I missed half a day’s work because trains were delayed and buses couldn’t move. For us, one day’s earnings make a big difference.”
In Koparkhairane and Sanpada, shopkeepers complained of flooding outside their shutters. Pravin Shetty, who runs a tea stall, said, “Water entered my shop and spoiled the stock. We are helpless every monsoon, yet the city wins awards for best cleanliness.” At the APMC market in Vashi, traders struggled to unload trucks as the marketplace was waterlogged. Sachin Gupta, a vegetable vendor, said, “We had to sell our goods at half price because customers didn’t want to step into the flooded lanes.”
According to NMMC’s Disaster Management Cell, the city recorded an average of 36.43 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, with Nerul (45.40 mm) receiving the highest. Three incidents of tree branches falling were reported, but no injuries occurred.
NMMC Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde said that all eight wards were on alert. “There is no major waterlogging in the city limits, and traffic movement is slow but under control,” an official statement said. Citizens have been asked to contact the Disaster Management Centre helplines (022-27567060/61 or toll-free 1800222309/10) for any emergency.
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