Maharashtra rains: IMD issues 'orange' alert for Mumbai, red alert for four districts

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Maharashtra. The central weather forecasting agency has issued a 'red' alert for Thane, Raigad, Pune, and the Palghar districts for today and tomorrow, and an 'orange' alert has been issued for Mumbai and Ratnagiri. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to lash Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, and Ratnagiri on Saturday, July 22.  

In the past 24 hours, Mumbai received an average 100 mm rainfall and the weather department has predicted heavy to very heavy showers in the city and suburbs along with strong winds over the next one day. After a heavy downpour on Wednesday which caused water-logging in many low-lying areas and affected local train services, the rain intensity reduced early Thursday morning and there were no showers in some parts of the city.

Mumbai received an average 100 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8 am on Thursday. The IMD's Mumbai centre has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the city and suburbs in the next 24 hours, with a possibility of occasional gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph.

Railway authorities said local train services, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, were normal on both the Central Railway and Western Railway routes.

Due to heavy rainfall, a landslide occurred on Wednesday in Raigad's Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil, around 80 km from Mumbai. Twelve people were killed in the landslide, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Thursday. The incident took place after torrential rains in the area.

The chief minister reached the site in the morning to take stock of the situation and spoke to personnel engaged in rescue operations. "So far, 12 dead bodies have been recovered by search and rescue teams. As many as 103 people have been identified who were living there. Some of them were out for work in paddy fields and some children had gone to residential schools. Search for them is on," he said.

There is continuous heavy rainfall and the debris and rubble have mounted up to 15 to 20 feet, Shinde said, adding that authorities were not able to move the machinery for the rescue operation. Two helicopters have been kept ready for the operation, but they have not been able to take off due to the bad weather, he said.

(With inputs from PTI)