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Heavy rainfall disrupts Mumbai; flight operations affected
Flight operations at Mumbai airport disrupted amid heavy rainfall
Heavy rainfall in Mumbai caused significant disruptions at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, affecting flight operations. The poor visibility due to the downpour led to a brief suspension of flight operations at 10:36am.
The operations resumed at 10:55am after visibility was recorded at 1000 meters, and Runway Visual Range (RVR) at 1200 meters.
Air India promptly issued an advisory via social media, informing passengers that flights to and from Mumbai could be delayed due to the severe weather.
"Flights to and from Mumbai may get affected due to heavy rains. Guests are advised to start early for the airport, as slow traffic and waterlogging may delay movement," Air India said.
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Meanwhile, the Andheri subway has been closed to vehicular traffic due to waterlogging, further straining the city’s already congested roads.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Mumbai issued a nowcast warning at 10:00am, predicting intense to very intense spells of rain in isolated areas across Mumbai, its suburbs, Thane, Raigad, and the Ghat regions of Pune over the next 3-4 hours.
“Monsoon is very active over Maharashtra. Yesterday, we gave red alert for Pune, and we have noticed 114mm of rain in the city as well as we have seen in ghat areas more 200mm rain has already been recorded. In Mumbai, we have recorded more than 65mm of rainfall in and around Mumbai since yesterday. Red alert was till today morning, for Pune it's Orange alert today. For Mumbai, it is Yellow alert today,” IMD Director, Mumbai, Sunil Kamble, said.
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The heavy rainfall have also affected railway services, with the Panvel-Chouk line suspended since 09:42 AM due to flooding. Consequently, Train No. 12126 has been rerouted to operate via Kalyan.
Local trains are running with speeds less than regular because of reduced visibility on account of heavy rainfall and high wind speed, a Central Railway official said.
Waterlogging was reported in areas like the Bhandup pumping station, Vikhroli, and near King Circle. Around 6am, a tree got uprooted at Kalanagar near Matoshree Bungalow in Bandra east, causing diversion of BEST buses for about an hour.
With Bureau inputs
