Over 17K evacuated as rains pound MMR

Several areas across the region were inundated even as operations remained suspended and at least one person was killed

Navi Mumbai/ Thane/ Vasai: With heavy rains continuing through the day on Tuesday, over 1,700 people were evacuated from low-lying areas across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Several areas across the region were inundated even as operations remained suspended at factories inside the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) complex in Mahape. In Badlapur, a pedestrian bridge was washed away due to heavy rains while power supply was suspended in parts of Vasai-Virar as a precautionary measure. At least one person was killed while many others were rescued by fire brigade and disaster management personnel.

Waterlogging on Thane Belapur Road. (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO)

Vasai-Virar

Several areas within and beyond the limits of the Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar civic bodies were inundated on Tuesday due to incessant rains. The Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), in association with a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), rescued 504 persons from low-lying areas, including a pregnant woman who later delivered a baby weighing 2.7 kg.

VVCMC commissioner Manoj Suryawanshi told Hindustan Times that they used boats, tractors and fire engines to rescue people and distributed nearly 21,000 food packets among the needy and flood-affected.

“Water-logging was reported from 82 places within VVCMC limits. More than 3,000 homes were flooded,” he said.

Even Tulinj police station at Nallasopara was under 2 feet of water, said residents.

Palghar collector Indurani Jakhar, who visited several affected areas during the day, said, “Traffic on the Mumbai Ahmedabad highway was hit due to water logging.”

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) suspended power supply to several areas in the region as a precautionary measure, although the twin city of Mira-Bhayandar was largely unaffected. Several buildings and housing societies in low-lying areas kept their elevators shut for safety reasons and made arrangements to prevent water from entering electricity meter rooms.

“The power supply has been erratic over the past few days. We have to keep our devices charged and use them in a thrifty manner,” said Biren Sanghvi, a Virar resident.

Surendra SK, a Nallasopara resident, told HT that all roads from his residence at Sankeshwar Nagar to the Nallasopara railway station were waterlogged since Monday night.

“I decided to take a day off from work (on Tuesday) even before the office announced work-from-home,” he said.

HS Dasoni, a resident of Vasant Nagri in Vasai, said, “The civic body spends crores of rupees every year to clean drains before the monsoon. But these contracts are mostly awarded to contractors associated with political parties. So drain cleaning happens mostly on paper and there is no fear of punitive action.”

A couple of doors of the heritage Vasai Fort collapsed due to heavy rainfall, said residents.

Navi Mumbai

Six nodes in Navi Mumbai recorded over 100mm rainfall on Tuesday, including Koparkhairane (120 mm) and Vashi (110 mm).

Waterlogging was reported at the Mahape MIDC complex, Turbhe, Ghansoli, Airoli and Digha, worsened by runoff from hills on the eastern side and a 3.75-metre high tide.

Production was halted at the MIDC complex as floodwaters breached compound walls. “We’ve lost a full day’s output as our machines are underwater,” said Rajesh Nair, operations head at an auto parts manufacturing firm in the complex.

At Vashi’s APMC market, flooding disrupted wholesale operations, said traders.

“Blocked drains made it worse. The administration ignored warnings,” said trader Ramesh Patil.

Traffic on the Thane-Belapur Road was nearly paralysed for most of the day while underpasses at Mahape, Ghansoli, Koparkhairane, and Sanpada were flooded. At Airoli, Vashi, Nerul, and Karve village, traffic was disrupted due to tree fall incidents.

“We tried to prevent traffic coming to a complete halt on the Thane Belapur Road,” said deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Tirupati Kakde.

Local train services on the harbour line between Panvel and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus were suspended due to heavy rains and waterlogging on the tracks, leaving commuters stranded.

“No announcements, no help. We were stuck for two hours,” said Meena Deshmukh, a commuter from Panvel.

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) fire brigade rescued five people trapped inside vehicles in the Koparkhairane-Mahape underpass and a buffalo trapped in a drain near Reliance Empire Tower. Over 90 people were evacuated from Turbhe’s Krishna Steel slum settlement.

The civic body’s emergency response team built a temporary dam near Yadavnagar to redirect runoff from the hills and prevent water from entering tribal hamlets. They also cleared obstructions near the Turbhe MIDC complex, Indiranagar, Ghansoli bridge, Airoli Bharat Bijli corner, Digha, and Krishna Steel slum.

Additional pumps were deployed to remove water from low-lying pockets such as Akshar Darshan Sosa, Sector 7 Airoli, MAFCO Market, Digha Mukand bridge, and Dighagaon station. Extra pumps were activated at underpasses in Koparkhairane, Ghansoli, Sanpada-Juinagar, Rabale, and near Gawli Hospital.

“We’re monitoring the situation in real time through the integrated command control centre,” said NMMC commissioner Kailas Shinde.

In Panvel, the municipal corporation relocated over 400 people to temporary shelters set up in schools and community centres and pumps were operated round-the-clock to prevent waterlogging at Kalamboli, Kharghar, Kamothe, and Panvel.

“The administration is fully prepared. Citizens should stay calm,” said Panvel civic commissioner Mangesh Chitale.

In Uran, the Nhava-Sheva police station was inundated and drains got blocked in villages like Hanuman Koliwada, Sheva, and Jaskhar.

“We had warned the authorities about drain outlets being narrowed or redirected last year itself, but they did nothing,” said fisherman Ramesh Koli.

The Ulwe–Belapur stretch near the upcoming airport was submerged, raising concerns about future access. Runoff from CIDCO zones also surged into low-lying settlements like Kopar and Chinchpada, flooding homes.

“CIDCO had promised flood control, but the runoff turned our lanes into rivers,” said resident Shailesh Patil.

Thane and beyond

Heavy rains wreaked havoc across urban and rural parts of Thane district on Tuesday and caused a rise in water levels of several rivers in Ambernath and Kalyan talukas. Around 200 residents in Kalyan taluka were shifted to municipal schools and community halls while in Murbad taluka, 25-year-old Sameer Santosh Raut drowned in a pond at Padal village.

Ulhasnagar was among the worst-hit areas in Thane, recording 147mm rainfall over a few hours on Tuesday morning. The Bharatanagar locality on Kansai Road was inundated, with nearly 170 homes marooned and more than 500 residents evacuated by fire brigade and disaster management teams. Several low-lying areas in Mumbra, Kausa, Kalwa East, and Diva were submerged and around 100 families reported losing food grains and belongings.

In Badlapur’s Shani Nagar, a pedestrian bridge was washed away due to heavy rains, leaving hundreds of daily commuters stranded.

“We now have to walk an additional 2 km to reach the main road. Children and the elderly are finding it impossible,” said Suresh Jadhav, a resident.

On the busy Ghodbunder Road, subsidence at Chena village led to severe waterlogging and left vehicles stranded for hours.

In Dombivli’s Nilje area, a car was completely submerged after its driver misjudged the depth and flow of water on an underground road. While the driver managed to escape unhurt with the help of locals, the vehicle was pulled out by rescue workers hours later.

“The underpass always gets flooded during heavy rains. But authorities put up no warning signs, and motorists risked their lives, thinking they could cross. It was a recipe for disaster,” said commuter Priya Shinde, who witnessed the car going underwater.

With inputs from G Mohiuddin Jeddy, Anamika Gharat, Ateeq Shaikh, Megha Sood and Yogesh Naik