Train, flight services hit in Mumbai, schools closed on Tuesday amid rain alert
A heavy rain alert has been issued for Mumbai for Tuesday, as the weather department predicted heavy showers in the city. On Monday, incessant rain lashed.
the city and adjoining areas, disrupting suburban train services and flight operations as normal life was thrown out of gear in the metropolis.
Some areas in Mumbai received more than 300 mm of rainfall in just six hours, ending at 7 am, causing inundation of roads and low-lying areas. Heavy rains also lashed the city throughout the day, further compounding the woes of residents and leading to the closure of schools.
MUMBAI RAIN
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red’ alert for Mumbai for Tuesday, predicting heavy showers. The weather department also issued a high tide alert in Mumbai following incessant heavy rainfall. After the IMD’s alert, schools and junior colleges in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Pune as well as rural parts of Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg were ordered closed on Tuesday. All exams scheduled for today (July 9, 2024) at the University of Mumbai have been postponed.
On Monday, incessant rain crippled Mumbai and adjoining areas, disrupting suburban train services and flight operations. Central Railway services faced significant disruptions. Many out-station trains on their way to Mumbai also remained stranded. The Harbour line track was operationalised at 4.30 am on Tuesday. Flight services at the Mumbai airport were severely impacted due to low visibility after heavy rains, leading to runway operations being shut for over an hour and approximately 50 flights being cancelled. Rain also affected BEST bus services, with many plying on alternate routes to avoid waterlogging in areas like Parel, Gandhi Market, Sangam Nagar and Malad subway.
Mumbai reported 40 incidents of tree or branch fall. Some vehicles suffered damage. The city reported 12 incidents of short-circuit which claimed the life of a 72-year-old woman in Santacruz East. The lady sustained burn injuries in a fire triggered due to a short-circuit in a room of Haji Siddhiki Chawl on Datta Mandir Road. Mumbai also witnessed 10 incidents of house or wall collapse since morning, but there was no report of any fatality in the incidents
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took stock of the heavy rain situation by chairing a meeting at the Mantralaya and visiting the control room of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Teams of the National Disaster Response Force were deployed in the Kurla and Ghatkopar areas of Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, including Thane, Vasai (Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Sindhudurg.
More than 30 animals, birds and reptiles were rescued in Mumbai and surrounding districts amid heavy rain. Cases of lost and abandoned pets, strays, and domestic animals were also reported, along with wildlife distress calls from the city and suburbs. Pythons, vipers, cobras, rat snakes, and checkered keelbacks, among other reptiles, displaced due to rains, were rescued from the periphery of forest areas and water-logged places.