Fire brigade on rescue as water level rises at Hindamatha, Parel, on Tuesday. Ganesh Shirsekar
Schools Closed
The state has declared Wednesday a holiday for schools and colleges. State Education Minister Vinod Tawde tweeted on Tuesday evening: “With today’s heavy downpour and predictions for heavier rainfall; schools, college authorities instructed to remain closed tomorrow.” Tuesday marked the last day of the five-day Ganpati Holiday and the mid-term break of the University of Mumbai. While classes were supposed to resume on Wednesday, they now remain cancelled owing to predictions of heavy rain.
Food For Stranded
With restaurants and stores shut, some of those stranded in South Mumbai and other commercial areas found it difficult to find a meal before making the long journey home at night after the chaos subsided. While some offices arranged meals for employees, a few restaurants were open for business. “A few people have been able to walk in but mainly those working around the area. While we are operational, the rain seems to be a deterrent. Staff that got in early are here and will probably be here till tonight. As we have our team here already, we will be open for dinner,” said Chef-Partner at Cafe Zoe, Viraf Patel. Several good Samaritans pitched in to offer food to stranded people. Good Shepherd Church in Four Bungalows also opened their doors to shelter stranded Mumbaikars. “We have made arrangements to shelter around 30-40 people at our church for the night,” said Father Prakash Rumao. Meanwhile, all gurdwaras in the city also welcomed stranded people and provided them food, water and shelter.
Ready To Help
Ensuring there is no repeat of the situation witnessed after the July 2005 deluge, the Centre reacted swiftly to the Tuesday downpour. By afternoon, ten teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were in Mumbai. “While five teams were moved in the morning, five more were moved from Pune by evening. This was done considering the heavy rainfall in Mumbai, as a precautionary measure,” an NDRF statement read. The Navy was also on standby. Five flood rescue teams and two diving teams were on standby to render assistance at different locations across Mumbai. A Seaking 42 C chopper was kept on standby to be pressed for any search and rescue operations. The Navy also kept its medical team on alert.
In The Dark
Several parts of the city saw power cuts amid heavy rains. Electricity was cut off in water-logged areas in Central and Eastern suburbs such as Mahim, Worli, Ghatkopar and Mulund. Residents in Western suburbs in Santacruz and Borivali, complained of power outages. Sources at BEST, however, said that supply remained uninterrupted despite the weather. Reliance Energy, however, cut off supply to inundated areas. “Due to twin impact of high tide and unprecedented heavy rains, waterlogging has been reported from many areas of Mumbai suburbs. To ensure safety of our customers, we resorted to switching off some of our substations where water had reached dangerous levels,” said a Reliance spokesperson. Tata Power, on the other hand, wrote to the Pune district collector informing him of the rising water level of Walwan lake, which was at the brink of overflowing. Officials denied any power outage within Tata Power’s jurisdiction.
Animal Patrol
The rains and wind blew away sheets covering two sheds in the Bombay Veterinary Hospital, leading an already short-staffed hospital to reach out to Mumbai residents seeking manpower. The sheds housed 15 dogs. By Tuesday evening, five volunteers braved the rains to help cover the shed again. According to Kirti Bharadwaj, attached with the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the dogs were later housed in wards and intensive care units. Throughout Tuesday, seven dogs, injured in road accidents or brought in by dog lovers, were admitted to the hospital. Officials said dog admissions increased every monsoon, mostly due to road accident cases.
Staff On The Job
THE Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked its staff to stay back in the headquarters until normalcy returns. An official said, “Staff members who were in the office have been asked to stay back to assist in emergency works, if any. There are many who are unable to go home due to paralysed train services and non-availability of transport. They can help relieve the disaster control room staff.” Many who were on leave for Ganpati festival were requested to resume duties if they are in the city. “Those in the city and on leave for Ganesh Chaturthi shouldn’t have a problem returning to work,” the official said. Meanwhile, all four additional municipal commissioners and Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta were in the headquarters supervising disaster control work through the day.
Court Shelter
Many staffers of the Bombay High Court had to take shelter in the court premises on Tuesday, with no way of returning home as no trains were functional from Churchgate or CST. They were provided food in the court canteen. Many lawyers were also trying to make arrangements for their staff members who were stranded with not even taxis available in South Mumbai.
Malls Told To help
The Navi Mumbai police asked malls to offer help to people stranded in the rains. Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale said, “We are requesting the management of malls to allow stranded people inside nearby malls.” He added, “We are also requesting Gurdwaras and NGOs to arrange for some meals for stranded people.”
