Rains lash Mumbai, trains canceled, heavy water-logging reported
From Tuesday, Mumbai has been witnessing heavy downpour, which led to water-logging in various areas, directly having an impact on road and rail traffic. The rainfall would continue for another 24 hours, said reports. As a result of the water-logging, Central Railways services between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Thane were suspended. People struggled to traverse through knee-deep water. Here are more details.
The western suburbs received somewhere between 150 mm and 200 mm of rainfall. KS Hosalikar, IMD's Deputy Director-General of Meteorology, revealed in a tweet that till 5:30 am this morning, Colaba and Santacruz received 122.2 mm and 237.6 mm of rainfall respectively. He added that intense rains are likely in Mumbai Thane, Palghar, Raigad. The areas could receive rainfall throughout Wednesday.
As overnight showers triggered water-logging, traffic was affected. The Western Railways announced it was suspending local train services; trains were also affected on the Churchgate-Andheri line. The 02110 Manmad-Mumbai Special and 02109 Mumbai-Manmad Special were canceled, whereas LTT-Guwahati Special, CSMT-KSR Bengaluru Special, and 02534 CSMT-Lucknow Special were rescheduled. At Sion Railway Station, passengers were stranded as tracks were filled with rainwater.
#WATCH Maharashtra: Passengers were stranded at Sion railway station in Mumbai yesterday due to waterlogging following heavy downpour in the area. pic.twitter.com/cR3h3yCEab
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2020
In Navi Mumbai, locals remained up for the most part of the night due to thunders. Some people fell into gutters, as lids were washed away, reports News18. Those having shops in low-lying areas incurred losses. Municipal workers and fire brigade personnel worked overnight to pump out water from worst-affected areas. In King's Circle, a bus was submerged in water.
Water-logging was also reported from areas between Grant Road and Charni Road, Lower Parel and Prabhadevi, Dadar and Matunga, Matunga and Mahim. A tweet by Mumbai Police revealed that six-inches-high water-logging happened at Andheri Subway. "However traffic has been resumed and police personnel from DN Nagar Police Station are on the spot to ensure convenient commute for Mumbaikars," the tweet added.
Considering the weather prediction, BMC asked all offices to remain shut, unless they are dealing with essential services. BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal urged residents to leave homes only if it is absolutely necessary. He will pay a visit to water-logged areas at 11 am. Notably, Mumbai is facing the brunt of the weather at a time when it is already batting coronavirus pandemic.
On Twitter, users shared pictures, expressing discontent at the recurring situation. A user @travelindiablog shared a clip of water entering his home in Goregaon West. His home's furniture and appliances were seen submerged in rainwater. Taking a sarcastic tone, user @arti_ghargi wrote she didn't miss Imagica on her way home. "Will we ever get a solution to this?" asked Twitter user @priyankde.
