Mumbai rains: IMD predicts more showers in next 24 hrs; rail and road traffic hit

Mumbai and its adjoining areas witnessed heavy showers on Tuesday, resulting in water-logging at several places including railway tracks, which slowed the movement of trains and vehicles on roads.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted moderate to heavy rain in Mumbai and its suburbs over the next 24 hours, with a possibility of very heavy showers at isolated places, civic officials said.

The island city (south Mumbai) received an average of 95.81 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Tuesday, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 115.09 mm and 116.73 mm rainfall, respectively, during the same period, they said.

#MonsoonMeter | Western Ghats & Central India have witnessed heavy monsoon rains in the last few hours. @Indiametdept has also predicted rainfall in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan in the next 24 hours. #DIU

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Between 8 am and 11.30 am on Tuesday, the island city received an average of 41 mm rainfall, while the eastern and western suburbs got 85 mm and 55 mm showers, respectively, from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, said.

The local train services, considered the lifeline of Mumbai, were affected mainly on the main and harbour corridors of the Central Railway due to water- logging on tracks near Kurla, slowing down train movement, rail sources said.

There was also a bunching of trains heading towards the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai on the main line, they said. There was inundation on tracks in Sion, Kurla, Tilak Nagar and Wadala areas of the Central Railway route, the Central Railway's chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said.

''There is water in tracks at some locations...trains are being run at a cautious speed and we are continuously monitoring the situation,'' he said. Some commuters also complained about heavy-water logging in some subways in Panvel, Khandeshwar and Mansarovar stations on the Harbour line in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, forcing them to wade through ankle-deep water.

Over 75 lakh commuters from Mumbai and neighbouring districts travel in local trains every day.

The BEST undertaking, which provides public bus services in Mumbai and neighbouring cities, was forced to divert its buses via alternate routes, due to inundation in Sion, Chembur, Bandra, and Air India Colony, Kurla and a few other locations, an official said.

According to the Mumbai traffic police, a road near the Sadhna High School in the Sion area of central Mumbai was closed due to water logging up to 1.5 feet. The traffic was diverted through the Sion junction, they said.

There was also water-logging of up to one foot near the Santacruz railway station, resulting in slow vehicular movement, police said.

The vehicular movement was slow at Dadar TT, Parel TT, Sakkar Panchayat Chowk, Wadala in central Mumbai, Tembi bridge in Chembur, and near the Mankhurd railway station due to water rising to one to two feet, they said.

Traffic police personnel were deployed at various locations to avoid vehicular congestion due to the heavy rains, an official said.

Citizens also complained of water-logging at the Gandhi Market, and areas in Kurla and Dharavi, resulting in problems for motorists and pedestrians.

Civic officials were seen trying to convey to the media how quickly the rainwater receded at some inundation-prone spots like the Hindmata and Gandhi Market.

Between 8 am and 11.30 am on Tuesday, the M-west ward in Mumbai received 106 mm of rainfall, the M-east ward recorded 98 mm, the G-south ward got 88 mm of rain, and the N-ward got 92 mm and the F-south ward received 79 mm of rain, according to the BMC.

The IMD has also predicted heavy to very heavy rain in the neighbouring Thane district for the next few days.

On Monday, the IMD issued a 'yellow alert' for Mumbai and Thane, predicting heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over the next five days.

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