Tauktae could cause heavy rain today; IMD issues orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar

CYCLONE TAUKTAE at Arabian Sea could cause heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar on Monday, said India Meteorological Department (IMD). There was no significant impact of the cyclone in Mumbai except for a few complaints of tree fall and rain in some parts of the city on Sunday. No untoward incident, however, was reported.

According to the BMC’s disaster management cell, there were 12 complaints of tree fall from western suburbs and the island city. No injuries were reported. Late on Saturday, however, some parts of the city received light rain. There was no rain on Sunday morning, but only windy.

Officials from the BMC said according to the IMD warning, wind speed in the city could go up to 60 to 80 kmph along with heavy rainfall on Monday. On its Sunday bulletin, for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar, the IMD issued orange alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places), and red alert for Raigad (extremely heavy rain at isolated places).

Mayor Kishori Pednekar visited the disaster management cell on Sunday to take stock of the situation in Mumbai. Officials said residents living in coastal areas like Bandra, Worli, Colaba and Versova had been put on alert and, in case, the situation worsened, they will be evacuated and sent to shelter homes.

On Saturday, the civic body had asked the ward office to ensure the stability of hoardings and remove them wherever necessary. The 24 ward officers have been instructed to be equipped with required staff and equipment and prepare shelter homes, in case residents of low-lying areas have to be relocated. Disaster control rooms have been activated at all 24 wards.

The BMC has instructed people not to go out of their homes on both days and to stay away from beaches. The fire brigade has been asked to deploy rescue squads near six beaches in the city. In 24 hours, the BMC has pruned over 384 trees near the jumbo or field hospitals in the city.