Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Monday, with over 300 mm recorded in just six hours from 1 am to 7 am. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation.
In a post on social media platform X, Shinde said he had directed all disaster agencies to be on high alert and urged citizens to go out only if necessary.
“There is a traffic jam on the roads, and the traffic on the railway line has also been affected. The work of removing water from the track is being carried out by the railway administration, and efforts are on to restore traffic soon,” Shinde said.
“I am also appealing to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Police Administration, and Emergency Services to cooperate.”
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported waterlogging in several low-lying areas, including Worli, Kurla East, King’s Circle, Dadar, and Vidyavihar Railway Station, disrupting suburban train services.
“Train services are affected at Sion and between Bhandup and Nahur stations. Rainwater was above the tracks, so trains were stopped for nearly an hour. Now the water has receded a bit, so trains are restarting, but services are still affected,” the Central Railways said.
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) diverted many buses due to waterlogging. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed teams across the city and surrounding areas such as Thane, Vasai, and Palghar to prevent flood-related incidents.
“Heavy rain is also expected today. To avoid inconvenience to students, a holiday for the first session is declared for all BMC, government, and private schools and colleges in Mumbai (BMC area). The decision for the next session will be announced after reviewing the situation,” the civic body said in a statement.
Mumbai University also postponed exams scheduled for Friday, rescheduling them to July 13.
Flight operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were affected, with runway operations suspended from 2:22 am to 3:40 am, leading to 27 flight diversions.
“Flights diverted to Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Indore, etc. Currently, priority is being given to arrivals, delaying departures, and consequential changes that were made to accommodate diverted flights,” said a statement released by airport authorities.
Despite multiple incidents, including a small landslide in Vikhroli and a house collapse in the eastern suburbs, no injuries were reported.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Mumbai for Tuesday. The city is expected to receive very heavy rain in the next 24 hours.
(With ANI input)