Mumbai: The first monsoon rains hit Maharashtra and Mumbai with full fury on Wednesday, disrupting local trains and road traffic, and flooding low-lying areas in the country’s commercial capital, officials said. According to IMD Mumbai, the city notched record rain for a day in June — 280.2 mm in the suburbs and 123 mm in the city — in the past 24 hours, with the maximum downpour during the day since 8 a.m.

In the early hours, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad were clobbered with heavy rain, inundating several low-lying areas, barely a fortnight after the city survived the Cyclone Tauktae devastation. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms till June 13 in these four coastal districts, besides rain in several other regions of the state.

Rattled by the maiden downpour that virtually left the city immobilized, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others visited the BMC Disaster Management Centre and discussed the unfolding scenario with Mayor Kishori Pednekar and Municipal Commissioner I. S. Chahal, and other top officials.

Top Developments:

  • 5 NDRF teams are gearing up to respond in wake of heavy rainfall alert issued by IMD in coastal districts of Maharashtra. 15 teams are being pre-positioned in coastal districts of the state: NDRF
  • Train services between CSMT-Thane and CSMT- Vashi, CSMT-Bandra/Goregaon have been halted due to heavy rain and waterlogging on tracks at Kurla-Sion and Chunabatti stations: Central Railways
  • Mumbai’s Santacruz recorded 164.8 mm rainfall, while Colaba witnessed 32.2 mm rainfall: India Meteorological Department
  • Yellow & Red alert issued for some districts of Konkan Kinarpatti (coastal strip). Red alert issued for Mumbai today & Yellow alert for next 4 days. Konkan Kinarpatti including Mumbai may receive heavy to very heavy rainfall for next 4 days.
  • Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray visited the Disaster Management Cell of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, amid heavy rains in the state capital.
  • Mumbai city and suburbs very likely to experience light to moderate spell of rainfall with possibility of occasional intense spells during next 3-4 hours: India Meteorological Department

Uddhav Thackeray instructed the concerned departments to ensure that all agencies are kept on high alert in view of the forecast for the next 2-3 days, and also directed that medical care especially for Covid-19 patients should not be affected.

Several roads in Mumbai and its suburbs were flooded, the Central Railway and Western Railway suburban services were hit on the mainline and Harbour lines, causing concern among officialdom as the city will have the crucial BMC elections in early 2022.

Central Railway (CR) Spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said that due to water-logging near Chunabhatti station all services on the Harbour Line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Vashi (Navi Mumbai) were suspended in the morning.

(With IANS Inputs)