Mumbai and its suburbs, including Thane, continue to face the brunt of incessant rainfall, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an ‘orange’ alert for Saturday. The situation remains critical in Palgarh district, which has been put on a ‘red’ alert due to heavy rain. As downpours persist, low-lying areas such as Nallasopara and Vasai have been inundated since early morning, causing significant disruptions to daily life. On Friday, Mumbai witnessed a deluge, leading to traffic jams, waterlogging, and disruptions in local train services.
The Andheri subway had to be closed again for traffic due to waterlogging, further adding to the woes of motorists and pedestrians. Amidst this chaos, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is tirelessly conducting search and rescue operations at Irshalgad in Raigad. Tragically, the landslide in the area has already claimed the lives of 22 people, and 86 individuals are still reported missing. The IMD has reported staggering rainfall figures, with 203.7mm recorded in Santacruz – representative of Mumbai – in the last 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Saturday.
Colaba received 103mm of rain during the same period. Since the onset of the monsoon on June 27, Mumbai has witnessed a total of 1691.4mm rainfall. Looking ahead, the IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai on Saturday, with heavy rain predicted until July 23. Though the intensity of the showers is expected to decrease slightly after that, the rain activity will persist throughout the week. Residents can expect temperatures to hover around 28-29 degrees Celsius as maximum and 24-25 degrees Celsius as minimum during this period. The torrential rains have severely impacted transportation, especially local train services.
The Western and Central Railways report that all local trains are running, but delays of around 15-20 minutes are being experienced due to waterlogging at Kalyan. In response to the forecast of heavy rain, authorities have taken precautionary measures, declaring holidays for schools in Palghar and Thane on Friday and Saturday. Mumbai also witnessed a school holiday on Thursday due to the relentless rains. The situation remains challenging as Mumbai and neighboring areas grapple with the monsoon’s fury. Residents are urged to exercise caution and stay vigilant during this period of intense weather conditions. Rescue efforts in Raigad continue in the hope of finding those missing after the devastating landslide.