A delivery boy pushes his scooter after it stopped working along a waterlogged road following heavy rainfall in Mumbai, India, August 5, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds gusting up to 107 kmph battered parts of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar areas in Maharashtra on Wednesday, disrupting public transport due to water-logging on rail tracks and roads. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that heavy rains will continue to lash Mumbai and neighbouring areas until Thursday morning.
The weather agency had issued a red warning for Mumbai and neighbouring areas, including Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik. While the red alert for Mumbai was for Wednesday, Thane, Pune, and Nashik districts were issued warnings for Wednesday and Thursday.
From 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, extremely heavy rainfall (above 20 cm) lashed parts of Mumbai. Colaba weather observatory recorded 22.9 cm while Santacruz observatory recorded 8.8 cm of rainfall, the IMD said. Wind speed reached 70 kmph and gusted at 107 kmph between 5pm and 5.15 pm in Colaba.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked people to stay indoors and venture out only for essential work. He took stock of the situation and asked the BMC to coordinate with the police and railway authorities, health machinery and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to ensure that citizens do not face any hardships. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with CM Thackeray about the prevailing situation in Mumbai and surrounding areas and assured all possible support, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
A woman wearing a mask as a precaution against the coronavirus wades through a water logged street during heavy rain in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. India’s monsoon season runs from June to September. (AP Photo)
Dahanu in Palghar recorded over 350 mm rainfall in the 12-hour period ending at 5.30 am on Wednesday, while some areas in Thane received over 150 mm during the period, the IMD said. Teams of the NDRF have been stationed at both Thane and Palghar to deal with any eventualities, NDRF commandant Rajendra Patil said.
Here are all the major developments of the day:
Three cranes damaged at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal
Three cranes were damaged at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal in Navi Mumbai owing to heavy rains and weather and above normal gusts of wind. However, there were no injuries and all are safe, a spokesperson said.
Three cranes were damaged at the port.
“Owing to inclement weather and above normal gusts of wind, there has been damage to three cranes of JNPCT terminal of JN Port. However, there have been no injuries and everyone is safe,” PTI quoted JNPT spokesperson as saying.
The exact damage due to the mishap is yet to be ascertained, the statement added.
NDRF rescues passengers from stranded local trains in Mumbai
Passengers from a local train got stranded between Masjid Bunder and Byculla stations on the Central line in Mumbai after another local train coming from opposite direction got stuck near the same spot.
Picture and videos of the NDRF’s ongoing rescue operation at Masjid Bunder railway station.
A team of NDRF has rescued 200 passengers from the train so far while nearly 100 other are still inside, an NDRF spokesperson said. Three of the 12 coaches were on the platform of Masjid station.
Sandip Khiritkar, IPF/ CSMT, rescues passengers trapped in a local train near Masjid Station due to waterlogging.
The other local, which had come from Karjat, got stuck 60 metres outside Masjid Bunder. An NDRF team has been sent to rescue around 60 passengers inside the train.
Signage atop BSE headquarters gets damaged in Mumbai rains
The signage atop the headquarters of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in the Fort area of south Mumbai was damaged due to strong winds. The ‘BSE’ signage atop the towers broke-off and was seen dangling from the facade of the building.
The signage on top of the BSE building got damaged due to heavy rains.
As the staff was unable to pull up the signage, the authorities had to call fire brigade to fix it.
J J Hospital in Byculla flooded
Water entered the state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai’s Byculla area as heavy rains lashed parts of the city. “The rainwater entered the ground floor late afternoon, forcing us to shift some of the patients and equipment,” a resident doctor told PTI.
The ground floor casualty ward of JJ Hospital, Mumbai #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/1u3x80jCoB
— Express Mumbai (@ie_mumbai) August 5, 2020
“The authorities are trying to pump out the water but the water is not receding quickly as rains are unrelenting,” he added.
Tree collapses on police check-post at Mantralaya entrance
A big tree collapsed on the police check-post at the main gate of `Mantralaya’, the administrative headquarters of the Maharashtra government in south Mumbai, as rain lashed the city, an official told PTI.
The DY Patil stadium in Nerul Navi Mumbai
Nobody was injured in the incident but two vehicles parked outside the check-post were damaged, the police official said. Renovation work was undergoing in the post, he added.
Another tree collapsed outside the ‘garden gate’ of Mantralaya, he said, adding nobody was injured in that incident too.
Transport hit in Mumbai; suburban trains affected
Public transport in Mumbai and its surrounding areas, operating with limited capacity due to the coronavirus situation in the state, was disrupted due to water-logging on rail tracks and roads.
At least 33 BEST buses were stuck across the city due to waterlogging. Water-logging was reported in low-lying areas of Chembur, Parel, Hindmata, Wadala and other areas of Mumbai. Many parts of south Mumbai like Girgaum Chowpatty, Madanpura, Byculla, Hindmata, and Worli also reported waterlogging due to continued rain.
Due to very heavy rain and tree branches approaching near track at Churchgate, Mumbai Central and in between Marine Lines and Charni Road, the special suburban trains have been suspended temporarily between Mumbai Central, and Churchgate, a Western Railway said. Trains had been reversed from Mumbai Central Dadar, Bandra and Andheri.
Tree collapse between Marine Lines and Churchgate on Western Railway affecting train movement.
The railway authorities suspended the suburban train operations between CSMT-Vashi stations on the Harbour line, CSMT-Kurla on the Main line and also between Churchgate and Kurla due to water-logging on tracks around Masjid Bunder, Kurla, Sion, Marine Line and other stations.
“Due to heavy rain and waterlogging, the train services on the harbour line between CSMT-Vashi and on the Main line between CSMT-Kurla have been suspended,” chief spokesperson of the Central Railway (CR), Shivaji Sutar, said.
The Western Railway also announced on Twitter that due to heavy rainfall, all local train services between Churchgate and Mumbai Central stations have been temporarily suspended till further orders.
Large number of trees uprooted in Kharghar in Navi Mumbai due to strong winds and heavy rains. (Express photo)
Train movement on the Western Railway route in Palghar was affected due to heavy rain in the morning.
There was “minor disruption” at Palghar from 5.40 am to 7.10 am due to 266 mm rain in two hours and hence, a few trains were regulated enroute, Western Railway’s chief spokesperson Sumit Thakur said.
Heavy rain led to water logging at Walkeshwar Road, near Girgaum.
Video: Vinod Mishra#mumbairain @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/8EzdDxAeGT— laxman singh (@Laxmantweetsss) August 5, 2020
Thakur, however, said despite heavy rains in various suburbs, the Western Railways suburban services were running normal between Churchgate and Dahanu Road.
According to railway sources, suburban services were stopped due to water-logging on tracks at Palghar station.
Hockey player Yuvraj Walmiki’s house flooded, asks BMC for help
Hockey player Yuvraj Walmiki sought assistance from the BMC as rainwater seeped inside his house.
Is there anyone who can help…my house is been floating..please help @mybmc @OfficeofUT @AUThackeray pic.twitter.com/HzEep65vTU
— Yuvraj Walmiki (@YWalmiki) August 5, 2020
Weather prediction for southern, central Maharashtra
Parts of south-Madhya Maharashtra and adjoining Marathwada region are also likely to get very heavy rainfall, along with intense spells.
Pune district received 59 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours and it is likely to witness moderate to isolated heavy showers in next two days, an IMD official said.
The catchment areas of four dams – Varasgaon, Khadakwasla, Panshet and Temghar which provide water to the city – received good rainfall.