Mumbai receives heavy rain and plaints of waterlogging

There were intermittent spells of intense showers across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on Thursday, which led to temperatures dropping to normal and reports

There were intermittent spells of intense showers across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on Thursday, which led to temperatures dropping to normal and reports of waterlogging in the city. Mumbai and its suburbs can expect intermittent rain with heavy showers in isolated areas over the next 24 hours, and moderate rain over 48 hours.

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Between 8.30am and 8.30pm on Thursday, Santacruz weather station, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, recorded 39.2 millimetres (mm) while Colaba, representing south Mumbai, recorded 38.6mm of rain. Thane recorded 64mm in the same duration. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies 35.6mm to 64.4mm as rather heavy rain, and 64.5mm to 124.4mm as heavy rain.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recorded average rainfall of 37.43mm in the island city, 34.04mm in the western suburbs and 52.6mm in the eastern suburbs between 8am to 6pm on Thursday. As per BMC’s monsoon report, 18 tree collapses and five incidents of short circuit were reported in the city. No injuries were reported in any of them.

BMC’s disaster management cell said there was no waterlogging and no traffic had to be diverted because of the rain. However, citizens reported waterlogging in a number of areas across MMR, including Chembur’s Amar Mahal, parts of Sion Koliwada, some areas in Thane and near APMC market of Vashi in Navi Mumbai.

Three people sustained minor injuries when ground-plus-two storey structure collapsed in a chawl in Jogeshwari. Sakira Shaikh (22), Tauseef Shaikh (28) and Fatima Qureshi (60) were taken to RN Cooper Hospital, where they were treated and later discharged. Another ground-plus-three storey house collapsed in Kurla (West). No injury was reported.

On social media, there were videos claiming leakage from the walls of a Covid-19 care facility in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) because of rainfall, but BMC clarified in a press statement that the leakage was caused by a faulty tap, which has been fixed.

According to IMD, heavy rain is predicted for MMR over the next 24 hours. “A cloud patch near Mumbai over the Arabian Sea is likely to pave the way for overnight rain with intermittent heavy spells between Thursday night and early Friday morning. Lower level westerly winds from sea to land will help the cloud patch move over the city,” said KS Hosalikar deputy director general, western region, IMD.