After just 140mm of rain, electrocution, rail, road disruptions, waterlogging, tree falls — the works

After just 140mm of rain, electrocution, rail, road disruptions, waterlogging, tree falls — the works

After keeping the city on tenterhooks for weeks, rain finally descended – fast and furious -- on Friday. As is customary, suburban train services were disrupted on both the Central, the Harbour and the Western Railway because of waterlogging in low-lying areas.

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 29, 2019, 08:25 AM IST
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Mumbai: After keeping the city on tenterhooks for weeks, rain finally descended – fast and furious -- on Friday. As is customary, suburban train services were disrupted on both the Central, the Harbour and the Western Railway because of waterlogging in low-lying areas. Navigating the roads was also a major challenge, as it rained incessantly for nine hours, since 8.30am, resulting in huge traffic snarls, especially in vicinity of ongoing Metro works. The city received more than 100 mm rain, according to the Colaba observatory; the Santacruz observatory recorded 140mm rain in nine hours.

Officegoers tied themselves into knots as local trains on all the three lines were delayed by at least 10-20 minutes. There was flooding on the tracks at Kanjurmarg, Kurla and Sion – the usual flashpoints. Commuters scowled at the monsoon-preparedness. “The planning seems to have gone for a toss as there was waterlogging after the first few showers, leading to services being disrupted. What will happen when it rains heavily?” said Balu Servai, a commuter. According to a BMC spoke-sperson, due to the ongoing metro rail work and waterlogging at some places, some BEST buses had to be diverted, causing much hardship to commuters.

At Thane railway station, there was waterlogging on the tracks and the local civic administration had to be alerted. “Water entered the tracks from the city area. The TMC (Thane Municipal Corporation) has been informed. The TMC is sending officials to check and do the needful. Our officers are there to help,” said Sunil Udasi, chief public relations officer, CR.

The Western Railway, in a statement said, several teams have been deployed at different locations to ensure smooth operations. “Tracks and signals are working well. Train operation is normal. Today, we received a few mail express trains late at Surat from Vadodara due to heavy rain in the Vadodara division,” read the statement.

Traffic was hit in various pockets -- Western Express Highway, Ghodbunder Road, LBS Marg, S V Road, Sion-Panvel Highway, Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and the Eastern Express Highway, causing hardship to citizens.

Complaints of waterlogging poured in from Colaba Market, Anjirwadi (Mazgaon), Hindmata, Sion, Bandra, Jogeshwari Subway, Andheri and Milan Subways, Matunga Labour Camp, Chembur, Govandi, Kurla, Mankhurd, Ghatkopar and Cheetah Camp.

According to the disaster management department of the BMC, 53 trees collapsed and nine short circuit incidents were reported in the city, after a mere 140 mm of rain.

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