Heavy rainfall cripples Mumbai, nearby areas; IMD puts city on ‘high alert’

In the 24-hour period till 8:30am on Monday, the city logged 134.4 mm of rain at the Colaba station and 73.2 mm of rain in Santacruz.

Overnight heavy rains and waterlogging crippled Mumbai on Monday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed Mumbai under high alert for very heavy rainfall with gusty winds and thunderstorms.

Bike riders at the Elphinstone Bridge amid heavy rainfall. (HT Photo)

IMD upgraded its alert to orange from yellow at 7am, which will continue till 8:30am on Tuesday. Heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with gusty winds at isolated places is expected in Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, Raigad and Ratnagiri, according to the forecast.

According to IMD, southwest monsoon conditions were very active over Marathwada, North Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra, normal over South Konkan and weak over Gujarat.

In the 24-hour period till 8:30am on Monday, the city logged 134.4 mm of rain at the Colaba station and 73.2 mm of rain in Santacruz.

As per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) automatic weather station, the city logged 111.19 mm of rainfall, while the eastern and western suburbs logged 76.46mm and 75.15mm respectively in 24-hours from Sunday 8am to Monday 8am.

IMD classifies 2.5 mm to 15.5mm as ‘light rain’, 15.6mm to 64.4mm as ‘moderate rain’, 64.5mm to 115.5 mm as ‘heavy rain’, 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm as ‘very heavy’ and over 204.5mm as ‘extremely heavy’.

Reaching destinations in Central Mumbai became a difficult task for motorists due to heavy waterlogging and the closure of Elphinstone bridge.

According to the traffic police, jams were reported at Coastal Road stretching up to BD Somani chawl. Traffic was also affected at Kings Circle, Maratha Mandir road in Agripada, south bound road in BKC, Poonam Chambers junction at Worli due to waterlogging.

In the western suburbs, traffic movement was slow due to Mount Mary Fair from Lilavati Hospital to Mehbub Circle and Hill Road to Mehbub Circle in Bandra.

Citizens claimed that lanes leading to hospitals like KEM, Sion, Wadia and Tata cancer hospital were chock-a-block and ambulances were also seen stuck in traffic jams.

Meanwhile, due to heavy rains there was waterlogging on railway tracks at some locations, including Kurla, Dadar, Bandra on both central and western railway sections. However it did not disrupt train services.

Incessant rainfall in Pune since Sunday night led to severe waterlogging at Ruke Wasti near Theur, leaving over 100–150 residents stranded.

Rescue operations launched by villagers along with teams from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the National Disaster Response Force helped rescue around 50–55 residents late at night, authorities said.

The district administration has urged citizens to remain alert and avoid waterlogged stretches, riverbanks, and low-lying zones until conditions normalise.