PremiumThe eastern suburbs of Mumbai recorded the highest 90.65 mm rainfall within 24 hours to 8 AM on Monday, as compared to 48.88 mm rainfall in the city and 51.89 mm rainfall in western suburbs
Mumbai faced heavy rains before Monday afternoon following a brief respite from a day of intense downpour in the morning. Intense rainfall led to waterlogging in some areas of the city, hampering local train services.
Thirty people lost their lives across Mumbai in rain-related incidents. This included loss of 19 lives after a retaining wall collapsed due to landslide in Mahul area of Chembur. No fresh casualties were reported on Monday, PTI reported quoting an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
After briefly abating in the morning, rains picked up in intensity once again around mid-day in Mumbai, causing inundation in some parts of the city. Local train services of Central Railway were affected due to waterlogging on tracks between Vikhroli and Bhandup after heavy rainfall in the suburbs, Central Railway's chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said.
Suburban train services were suspended in this section of the main line from 10.35 AM to 10.50 AM as a precautionary measure, Sutar said, adding that trains were being run at a cautious speed between Kanjurmarg and Vikhroli stations due to heavy rain.
The station yard in neighbouring Thane was also suffered waterlogging, causing trains to run slow. In the Kasara Ghat section, located about 130 km from Mumbai, a mudslide blocked one of the three rail lines early morning on Monday, Sutar informed. The mudslide affected traffic only on the down line, while trains were running on the middle and up lines, informed Central Railway.
The eastern suburbs of Mumbai recorded the highest 90.65 mm rainfall within 24 hours to 8 AM on Monday. The island city saw 48.88 mm rainfall during this period, while the western suburbs reported 51.89 mm rainfall, a BMC official told PTI.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier issued an "orange alert" for Mumbai on Monday, predicting "heavy to very heavy rain at few places".
IMD alerts are colour-coded from green to red. A 'green' alert stands for 'no warning', which refers to light to moderate rain forecast and no action needs to be taken by the authorities. A 'red' alert stands for 'warning', and requires authorities to 'take action'. An 'orange' alert indicates that the authorities are expected to "be prepared".
According to BMC officials, there is a forecast of moderate to heavy rain or thundershowers in Mumbai and suburbs with the possibility of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places.
Meanwhile, civic officials informed that bus services of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) were running normally.
On Sunday evening, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chaired a meeting to take stock of various government agencies' preparedness to handle any emergency due to heavy rains. Thackeray had directed the agencies to remain more alert and asked authorities to keep a watch on landslide-prone areas and dilapidated buildings.
Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!