Monsoon Hits Delhi, Mumbai On Same Day; First Time Since 1961

Mumbai: The monsoon arrived on Sunday in both Delhi and Mumbai together for the first time since June 21, 1961. While it hit the national capital two days behind schedule, it drenched the financial capital two weeks late, the Met office said.

The weather department had a yellow alert for Mumbai on June 25-26, with heavy rainfall expected in isolated areas. An orange alert has been sounded for June 27-28, indicating the need for citizens to be prepared for potentially heavy showers.

Rain Showers In City On Saturday

On June 25, Mumbai city received 17 mm of rainfall, while the eastern suburbs recorded 19 mm and the western Suburbs 15mm. The maximum temperature recorded in Colaba was 30.5 degrees Celsius whereas Santacruz recorded 32.8 degrees Celsius, bringing some relief from the scorching heat.

Rajesh Kapadia, a weather expert and founder of the Vagaries of the Weather, indicated that only two lakes supplying water to Mumbai -- Tansa and Vihar – had received more than 100 mm of rain.

In a startling revelation, the BMC disclosed it had retreived a 165-litre fridge and a cupboard from a nullah near the Andheri subway, which had to be shut for traffic on Saturday.

CM Shinde Reviews Monsoon Preparedness

CM Shinde on Sunday reviewed the functioning of an underground water tank installed at the Milan subway to prevent flooding and said the system was fully operational. ‘‘More than 70 mm rainfall was reported in one hour, and still the system worked. Despite excessive rain, the Milan subway remained open for vehicular movement. Similar systems are functional in other areas of Mumbai also," he said.

The opposition parties, however, slammed the CM saying his claim of monsoon preparedness had fallen flat and that all his "false promises, photo ops hold zero value".

The southwest monsoon has, meanwhile, further advanced into the remaining parts of Maharashtra.