The Navy and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) sent teams on Tuesday to rescue people trapped in the flooded low lying areas in Kurla.
Residents said Kurla station road, Pipe road, Brahmanwadi, Kapadia Nagar and Surve Chowk were inundated. Iqbal Shaikh (26), a resident of Brahmanwadi, said, “The areas became waterlogged by 1 a.m. and by 4 a.m. the footpaths were submerged and water began entering our houses. There was no power and water did not recede till late afternoon.”
The traffic police rescued a woman and her baby who were stuck in the debris of a collapsed wall near Gausiya Masjid. Uttam Kolekar, assistant commissioner of police, Kurla division, said, “Traffic police personnel rescued them with the help of local residents on Tuesday.”
The NDRF sent teams to Kurla and the rescue teams moved over 1,000 people to safer areas. A Defence spokesperson said, “The BMC requested us to provide assistance to stranded Mumbaikars in Kurla. Teams from INS Tanaji and Material Organisation were activated and later joined by the naval diving teams. Extreme waterlogging and abandoned vehicles prevented the vehicles of the team from INS Tanaji from reaching the site. The team moved on foot, carrying safety gear like lifebuoys and life jackets and moving elderly women and children to safer areas.”
There was no power in most areas on Tuesday and BMC teams worked round the clock to clear rainwater.
Huzaifa Khan (22), a resident of Kapadia Colony, said, “Situations like this happen once or twice every year. Kapadia Nagar is a low lying area, so if we don’t get our cars and bikes to a higher ground they get damaged. Water has been entering the house since last night. It is very dirty as is mixed with the water of the Mithi river.”
Deepak Patil, drainage assistant with the BMC, said, “The road outside Kurla station has been flooding for the last 22 years. This time, the water level is low. Waterlogging usually occurs due to the plastic waste stuck in the drains. Because of the plastic ban, there was less water accumulated and we could clear it up using pumps within three hours.”