Mumbai Rains News LIVE Updates: 3 NDRF Teams Moved from Pune to Mumbai in View of Orange Alert

Mumbai's Tulsi Lake Overflows Amid Heavy Rains | As heavy rains lashed Mumbai and its suburbs, the Tulsi lake, one of the seven reservoirs supplying drinking water to the metropolis, overflowed on Friday, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. As per a release issued by the civic body, Tulsi lake situated in Sanjay Gandhi National Park in suburban Mumbai, started overflowing around 11 am.

Tulsi is the smallest of the seven reservoirs that supply potable water to Mumbai, and has a storage capacity of 8,046 million litres. The city gets 18 million litres of water from the lake every day. "The catchment area of the lake has been receiving rainfall in the last few days, as a result of which the lake overflowed during the day," the civic official said, adding that this year the lake has overflowed a little earlier compared to last year. When the Tulsi lake overflows, its water goes into the Vihar lake.

Apart from Tulsi and Vihar, the city receives water from Bhatsa, Tansa, Lower and Middle Vaitarna dams all located in Thane district, and Upper Vaitarna dam located in Nashik district. According to the BMC, the dams in Thane and Nashik districts have limited water stock, due to poor rainfall in the catchment area. Heavy rains pounded Mumbai, especially its suburbs, in the morning. Mumbai island city recorded 55.3 mm rain, while 135 mm and 140.5 mm rainfall was recorded in the eastern and western suburbs, respectively between 4 am to 9 am.

People wade through a waterlogged road after heavy rainfall in Mumbai. (Reuters)

250 People Shifted as Mithi River Swells | Around 250 residents of a slum-dominated area in Mumbai's Kurla were evacuated on Friday morning as Mithi river swelled up following heavy rains in the city and its suburbs, which also affected the local train services, officials said. However, as water level of the river later subsided, these people returned to their places, they said. 

People residing in Kranti Nagar, a slum-dominated area in Kurla west, located along the bank of Mithi river, were shifted to nearby municipal schools after its water level touched 3.7 metres in the morning with its danger mark being 4 metres, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

3 NDRF Teams Moved from Pune to Mumbai as IMD Issues Orange Alert | In view of orange alert for Mumbai by the IMD, 3 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been shifted from Pune to Mumbai as a precautionary measure.

Mumbai witnesses an extremely heavy downpour on Friday, while the India Meteorological Department has predicted a moderate to intense spell over Mumbai to continue during the next three hours. CHECK PHOTOS

The BMC said in the past 24 hours till 8 a.m. (Friday), the city received 64.45 mm, 127.16 mm in Western Suburbs and 120.67 mm in Eastern Suburbs, and it continues to pour since daybreak on Friday.

The BMC has forecast more rains for the day including isolated spells of heavy showers.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation is on an alert mode and the water levels of Mothi River are being monitored.

The entire North Konkan area comprising the twin districts of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban, neighbouring districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad which comprise the MMR is getting heavy rainfall.

K.S. Hosalikar, Head of Climate Research and Services, Pune shared the latest satellite images at 8.30 a.m. indicating intense clouds over Mumbai suburbs and Thane leading to some very intense spells in the last 3-4 hours. He said the entire coastal Konkan is covered with clouds and North Konkan-Mumbai needs to watch out.

An official of the Central Railway said that due to water-logging on tracks near Kurla station in eastern Mumbai, suburban services on the main line (between Chhatrapati Shivaji MaharajTerminus and Kurla) and the Harbour line (CSMT-Vashi-Panvel) have been affected since morning. "Due to heavy rains and water-logging on the slow lines near Kurla-Vidyavihar, local trains are running 20-25 minutes late," said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer of the CR.

As the Mithi river crossed the dangerous mark following a heavy downpour, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has shifted 250 people from the low-lying Kranti Nagar slum, Kurla to Bail Bazar Municipal School, the Indian Express reported.

Local Train Services Hit Due to Water-logging | The suburban trains on the Central Railway's main line as well as the Harbour line are running 20 to 25 minutes behind their schedule, an official said. Local train services are currently running only for personnel engaged in health and other essential services, and are out of bound for general commuters in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A civic official said that the city has been witnessing downpour since early morning, but its suburbs have reported more rainfall. In three hours ending 7 am, Mumbai's island city recorded 36 mm rainfall, whereas its eastern and western suburbs recorded 75 mm and 73 mm rainfall respectively.

The city of dreams saw a whopping 157 mm of rains in three hours taking the 24 hour rain figure to 253 mm, a report by Skymet Weather said.

The Skymet forecast says a low pressure area is currently persisting over southern parts of Gujarat and monsoon surge is active over the entire West Coast of the country right from South Gujarat down to the Kerala cost. In the wake of these weather parameters, moderate to heavy showers with isolated intense spells are expected to continue over Mumbai and suburbs for another 24-48 hours.

Thane municipal corporation said that a person was injured after a truck overturned near Kopari, Thane on Eastern Express Highway around 2 am amid heavy rains. The injured has been shifted to the nearest hospital.

Flooding at Sion and Kings Circle in Mumbai. (Photo: Arjun Chikhale)

Continuous heavy downpour has led to flooded roads 

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Dahisar area of Mumbai waterlogged following heavy rainfall in the city this morning. pic.twitter.com/OdA7YAa14l

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2021

Buses have been diverted on some routes, including Andheri, Chembur, Sion and Wadala, as rains continue to pour.

Mumbai: Due to heavy rain and waterlogging in low-lying areas, buses have been diverted. pic.twitter.com/If8JMzkRzh

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2021

Trains Running Late as Near Kurla-Vidyavihar | Central railway CPRO has said that due to heavy rain and waterlogging on slow line near Kurla-Vidyavihar, trains are running 20-25 minutes late. “Slow line traffic b/w Kurla-Vidyavihar diverted on fast line. Harbor line also running 20-25 mins late. Trans-Harbor line traffic is running smoothly," the official said in a statement.

News agency ANI posted video of heavy rainfall in Wadala as commuters wade through waterlogged roads.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Parts of Mumbai face waterlogging, following heavy rainfall this morning. Visuals from Wadala

Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai predicts "light to moderate rain in city & suburbs with possibility of heavy rainfall at isolated places" for next 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/wPgOZUukms

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2021

According to K S Hosalikar, senior India Meteorological Department official, Mira Road has received 73mm of rainfall, Juhu 136mm, Mahalaxmi 56.5mm, Santa Cruz 25.1, Bandar 141mm Bhayandar 53mm and Dahisar 76.5mm. The weather department had issued an orange alert for Mumbai and Thane, indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places and a red alert for Pune, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur and Satara districts.

Light to Moderate Rains in Mumbai | The Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai has predicted “light to moderate rain in city and suburbs with a possibility of heavy rainfall at isolated places" for the next 24 hours.

Active Monsoon Surge in West Coast: IMD | Weathermen have attributed the intense spells to a low-pressure area over southern parts of Gujarat and active monsoon surge over the entire west coast of the country, right from South Gujarat down to the Kerala coast.

Heavy Showers in Mumbai, Normal Life Hit | Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Palghar and other neighbouring regions have been receiving heavy rainfall for the last three hours, leading to waterlogged roads, diversion of buses and delays in local trains.