The continuous downpour in Mumbai and its adjoining areas since Tuesday night left the city paralysed with road and rail traffic coming to a halt. The sudden outburst of torrential rains in September caught citizens unaware.
The overnight spells of showers caused traffic in several areas, including Mumbai Central Junction, Worli Sea Face and Bhendi Bazar. According to the BMCs Disaster Control, water-logging was reported from flood-prone areas of south and central Mumbai, including Dadar, Wadala, Parel, Sion, Matunga, Kurla, Chunabhatti, Masjid Bunder and Byculla to name a few.
While the city's public transport is already running half its strength due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the torrential rains added to the woes of the public. Local train services were affected on some routes, however, the services on Western Railway were restored by 4 pm. On the other hand, suburban services on Central Railway remained badly affected and cancelled with outstation trains rescheduled.
BEST buses were also badly affected due to heavy downpour with over 30 buses trapped and stranded due to flooding. BEST public relations officer Manoj Varade said that 23 buses were attended while seven remained in water as the repair teams and mechanic could not reach the sites.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Colaba observatory recorded over 14.78 cm of rainfall while the Santacruz observatory recorded over 28.64 cm rain from 8 pm on Tuesday to 8 am on Wednesday. Overall, the city recorded an average of 36.03 cm of rainfall.
In view of heavy overnight rainfall in Mumbai on Tuesday, the Chief Justice declared a holiday for Bombay High Court and suspended all hearings. On the other hand, the BMC declared a holiday for all private and government establishments, except emergency services.
According to IMD, Mumbai is expected to receive moderate rains till September 28. The weather department said that the sky will generally be cloudy with the minimum and maximum temperatures ranging between 26 degree Celsius and 31 degree Celsius. Private weather agency Skymet said that multiple weather systems are responsible for the heavy downpour over Mumbai and suburbs.
The overnight spell of heavy rainfall left many houses in the low-lying areas flooded and people were seen wading through knee-deep water. On Wednesday morning, a BEST bus ferrying essential service workers got stuck in the waterlogged road at the Kings Circle area, leaving passengers with no option but to cross the road by foot.
In an untoward incident, two security guards died after getting stuck in a flooded lift in the basement of a building in central Mumbai on Wednesday. A few incidents of house collapse or wall crashes were also reported. A minor landslide took place at South Mumbai's Khareghat colony near Babulnath temple which led to dirty mud entering the houses of a few residents.
40 complaints of electrical short-circuit and 12 incidents of trees or branches falling were also reported due to the torrential rains, however, there were no casualties.
Mumbai had already surpassed its seasonal rain average in August itself. The monthly average rainfall for Mumbai for the month of September is 341.4 mm. Until today, Mumbai has recorded more than 400 mm of rainfall. While rain activities will see a gradual decrease, citizens have been advised to remain indoors.
The BMC said that all the seven lakes that supply drinking water to Mumbai are virtually brimful. BMC officials said that there is a comfortable stock of water which can last up to December 2021 and even longer if required with disciplined water usage.
In picture: Mumbai Police personnel push their vehicle as it broke down outside Borivli railway station.
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