The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Mumbai as incessant rainfall continued to lash the city since Monday. The weather office has also issued a high tide alert for the financial capital of India.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in view of the weather office's alert, requested Mumbaikars to step out of their homes only if required.
"In view of this, all schools and colleges in Mumbai have been declared a holiday for tomorrow Tuesday, 9th July 2024, in consideration of the safety of students," BMC said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the University of Mumbai has also postponed all the scheduled exams of Tuesday, saying that new dates for the same will be announced soon. This is in view of the heavy rain forecast in Mumbai, Mumbai Suburbs, Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also took stock of the heavy rain situation by chairing a meeting at the Mantralaya and visiting the BMC control room.
Mumbai Rains: IMD Issues Red Alert
The IMD has issued a 'Red Alert' for Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Satara, Pune and Sindhudurg districts, while an 'Orange Alert' has been issued for Thane and Palghar on Tuesday.
Requesting people to avoid stepping out of their homes, BMC also asked them to not believe in any rumours.
"Please dial 1916, the contact number of the Main Control Room of the BMC, for help and official information if required," BMC added.
The weather office's bulletin forecast, "isolated very heavy rainfall over Konkan and Goa and Madhya Maharashtra on July 9, 11 and 12".
Mumbai received an average of 47.93 mm of rainfall in the 10-hour period ending at 6 pm on Monday, while the figure was 18.82 mm and 31.74 mm for eastern and western parts of the metropolis, respectively.
"In the 24 hours ending at 8 am, Mumbai's island city recorded an average rain of 115.63 mm, Eastern Mumbai 168.68 mm and Western Mumbai 165.93 mm rainfall. The city reported 40 incidents of tree or branch fall, but there was no report of any death. Some vehicles suffered damage," a civic official said.
Notably, teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Mumbai's Kurla and Ghatkopar areas and in other parts of Maharashtra, including Thane, Vasai (Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Sindhudurg, a NDRF spokesperson said.
Schools, Colleges Shut; Exams Postponed
Mumbai administration has announced the closure of all schools and colleges for Tuesday, for the safety of students amid heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, given the heavy rain forecast in Mumbai, Mumbai Suburbs, Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri and Sindhdurg, all exams scheduled for Tuesday at the University of Mumbai have been postponed.
The university said that the new dates will be announced soon.
Train, Flight Services Hit
Both train and flight services took a hit amid the incessant downpour in Mumbai. Central Railway services also faced major disruptions due to waterlogging triggered by rains, despite installing high-capacity pumps in low-lying areas.
Harbour line services, which were suspended again on a stretch on Monday, resumed on Tuesday morning. However, waterlogging at several stations, including the Wadala station, led to slight delay in the train services.
Central Railway's Mumbai unit also requested passengers to refrain from travelling, unless for an unavoidable reason.
Meanwhile, the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai advised passengers to check their flight status with their respective airlines and leave for the airport a little earlier in view of the inclement weather and forecast of heavy to very heavy rains.
Around 50 flights were cancelled on Monday after heavy rains caused low visibility, with runway operations being shut for over an hour.
Of the 50 cancelled flights (arrivals and departures) till 11 am, 42 were those of IndiGo and six were of Air India.
"Fifty flights have been cancelled till 11 am on Monday at the Mumbai airport due to low visibility and heavy rains. Of these, IndiGo had to cancel 42 flights, including 20 departing ones, while six flights of Air India including three arrivals were cancelled," a source had said.
State-owned Alliance Air also had to cancel two flights -- one for arrival, one for departure -- due to the heavy downpour, they added.
40 Trees Fall, 10 Walls Collapse
Given the heavy rainfall, Mumbai reported at least 40 incidents of tree or branch fall, with some vehicles being damaged, a civic official said.
Meanwhile, at least 12 incidents of short-circuit were reported in the city, with a 72-year-old woman losing her life at Santacruz East. She sustained burn injuries in the short circuit-triggered fire in a room of Haji Siddhiki Chawl on Datta Mandir Road.
Mumbai also witnessed 10 incidents of house or wall collapse since morning, however no loss of life was reported in these incidents.
(With PTI inputs)
