Mumbai rains: Red alert issued as second-worst August downpour in decade wreaks havoc

Parts of Mumbai saw 300 mm of rainfall due to incessant rains on Monday and Tuesday. Normal life has come to a standstill as the city and the suburbs get inundated. Mumbai recorded the second-highest rainfall in a single day in August in a decade. The city also surpassed the 2,000 mm rainfall mark for the season. Three people have been reported dead and a five-year-old has been reported missing.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Nashik, Thane, Paldhar, Raigad and Ahmednagar districts. The warning for Mumbai is for Wednesday, while for Thane, Palghar and Nashik is for both Wednesday and Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has sounded a flood alert for Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg districts along the Tapi and Tadri rivers. Pune along the Bhima river, Nashik along the Godavari and Damanganga and Satara and Kolhapur along Krishna river and its tributaries have also been issued a flood alert by the CWC.

As the IMD forecasts very heavy rains, citizens have been asked not to step out of their homes and to avoid coasts. A fire brigade and NDRF team has been kept ready for emergency cases. Local trains were suspended in some routes in Mumbai and suburbs on Tuesday. BEST services were also impacted as many routes were diverted. Offices and establishments were also asked to not open on Tuesday.

The city has already received 53.2 per cent of its average August rainfall. The Santacruz weather observatory recorded 268.6 mm of rain between 8:30 pm on Monday and 8:30 pm on Tuesday.

The BMC has appealed to people to not step out of their homes unless it is extremely urgent.

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