Rain-soaked Sunday heralds wet week for Mumbai, showers of over 100mm recorded

The Indian Meterological Department (IMD) placed Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts under yellow alert for three days starting Monday

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region was lashed by heavy rains on Sunday under the impact of five different weather systems. Several parts of the city logged between 100mm and 190mm rain, leading to widespread waterlogging, road closures, traffic and flight diversions, incidents of short circuit and evacuation of picnickers. Civic and traffic police personnel undertook relief and rescue efforts in several places even as the Indian Meterological Department (IMD) placed Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts under yellow alert, indicating heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places, for three days starting Monday. Raigad district has been placed under orange alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall at many places) on July 22 and 23.

Mumbai, India – July 21, 2024: Vechiles way through the waterlogged on the road during monsoon rain, at Parel, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, July 21, 2024. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Two weather systems – the monsoon trough and the off-shore trough – are generally responsible for bringing rains to Mumbai during the monsoon, said IMD officials. While both systems were at work over the weekend, officials attributed the heavy downpour to three other weather systems – a cyclonic circulation over northeast Arabian Sea adjoining Kutch, a well-marked low-pressure area over interior Odisha and adjoining Chhattisgarh and a shear zone.

“Winds are westerly during the monsoon. The cyclonic circulation and low pressure area are aiding the convergence of winds, which is a conducive feature for heavy rains,” said Sushma Nair, scientist, Regional Meteorological Centre, IMD.

Operations were suspended twice during the day at Mumbai airport, leading to the cancellation of 36 flights and the diversion of 15 flights including via Ahmedabad.

Waterlogging was reported from many parts of the city, and officials of departments concerned were at the spot overseeing relief work and opening manholes with the help of additional manpower. Meanwhile, Congress leaders Sufiyan Haider, working president of Mumbai youth Congress, and Priyanka Sanap, national coordinator, used a ferry in Versova to point at BMC’s inefficiency in draining the waterlogged area.

Complaints of falling branches/ trees were received from five places in the city, two places in the eastern suburbs and 12 places in the western suburbs. Complaints of wall collapse were received from eight places including one in the eastern suburbs and six in the western suburbs. A total of six short circuit incidents were also reported on Sunday, including four from the city and two from the western suburbs. All complaints were routed to departments concerned and relief work was initiated within a short time, said officials.

A minor landslide was reported at Kajolkar Society, Chimbal Road, Jagdusha Nagar in Ghatkopar. A house on which stones fell during the landslide was evacuated, following which personnel from the N ward and the national Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) inspected the site and cordoned off the area. No one was hurt in the incident.

In Navi Mumbai, several picnickers who were trapped near popular waterfalls were rescued by police, civic officials and fire brigade personnel.

“Over 60 people were trapped near the waterfall ahead of Jai Durga Nagar in sector 8 of Belapur. Water from the hills gushes out to the area and they were stuck there as the water current was very strong,” said Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde.

Fire brigade personnel and the emergency response team along with Navi Mumbai police rushed to the spot and rescued the tourists, he said.

Officials monitored the situation in Navi Mumbai from the newly set up centralised command centre at the NMMC headquarters in Belapur, which is connected with over 1,500 CCTV cameras.