Tree collapse claims 2 in western suburbs; 1 injured in Govandi wall collapse

Two men died in separate incidents in Mumbai due to tree collapses during heavy rain. Many parts of the city were waterlogged, and multiple trees and branches fell. There were also reports of house and wall collapses, as well as a landslide. The Andheri subway had to be shut down, but the BMC managed to clear out the water. The city's successful desilting of nullahs helped with quick drainage. BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal visited flood-prone sites and observed that areas around Gandhi Market remained flood-free.

Mumbai: As the city witnessed heavy rain on Wednesday, in two separate incidents two men in their thirties died due to twin tree collapses, while many parts of the city became waterlogged.

HT Image

Koushal Doshi, 38, died when a peepal tree fell on him inside Manibhai Munji chawl, in Mamletdarwadi, Malad West at around 7 am. The approximate girth of the tree was four feet and it stood 35 feet tall, inside the private property. Doshi was rushed to Shatabdi Hospital, in Kandivali, where he was declared brought dead. According to Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of P North ward, “The incident occurred when Doshi had gone to use the toilet. He suffered head injuries and was declared dead in the hospital later.”

Later at around 3:30 pm in Goregaon West, a migrant worker from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, Premlal Nirmal, 30, died after a coconut tree collapsed on his shed, in the Old BMC Colony, on M G Road. Rajesh Akre, assistant commissioner of P South ward said, “It was a dead tree that had collapsed. The man was living alone there and had put up the shed because of the monsoons.”

Between 8am and 6pm on Wednesday, 22 trees and branches fell, of which 12 were from western suburbs, seven from eastern suburbs and three from the island city.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Rehan Shaikh was injured after a portion of a wall collapsed on him in Shivaji Nagar, Govandi. He was admitted to Shatabdi Hospital, where his condition became stable. A total of six house/ wall collapse incidents were reported on Wednesday between 8am and 6pm.

In addition, people were evacuated from 20-25 houses after a landslide in Surya Nagar, Vikhroli West. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), temporary shelter was provided to the ones evacuated from a nearby private school. The residents however chose to move to their relatives’ place, said BMC.

Waterlogging is a natural consequence of Mumbai monsoons, which was observed in various parts of the city on Wednesday, and the Andheri subway had to be shut down again. Similar incidents were reported from Poisar subway and the Borivali East station, while citizens from Sakinaka also complained about the challenge.

BMC managed to clear out the accumulated rainwater from Borivali East station and the Andheri subway, in quick response to the videos of waterlogging circulated by citizens.

A senior official from the BMC, who was present at the Andheri subway, said, “The place got flooded within five to seven minutes – it was like flash flood. It was a short but intense spell. All the pumps were functional, yet the places were flooded. This is likely to happen in the future as well during heavy downpour. But it will also drain quickly.”

BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal and other senior officials visited various flood-prone sites. The civic body observed that although the city witnessed heavy rain on Wednesday like Saturday, water drained out quickly due to the successful desilting of the nullahs recently. Chahal also inspected the Mithi river site at BKC, Gandhi Market, Hindmata, Sion and a few other areas. According to BMC, areas around Gandhi Market remained flood-free and the shopkeepers of the area were happy as they did not suffer financial losses.