The Mumbai Traffic police were out in full force amidst the heavy downpour on Tuesday, as traffic jams, slowdowns and minor accidents were reported in areas like Western Express Highway, SV Road, Sion and Dadar. Traffic personnel were deployed at all problem spots and continuous updates were provided to the citizens through social media accounts.
According to Traffic Police officials, close to 2,000 personnel were deployed who were actively working on the ground on Tuesday.
Raj Tilak Roushan, deputy commissioner of police (Traffic HQ) said that they are coordinating with the weather department in order to avoid added chaos in the coming days.
"There is a high tide as well as a heavy rains prediction by the weather department and hence everything that we plan to do will be accordingly implemented," said Roushan.
The police had their hands full on Tuesday, with crucial spots like the Andheri and Khar subway being water-logged and unavailable. Vehicular traffic was diverted to alternate routes till the water receded and the subways were open for vehicles again.
"We are also providing real-time updates on every situation related to rains, traffic and water-logging through our Twitter account. People are requested to check all these before leaving home," he added.
"The Traffic Police will also be publicising their emergency helpline number as well as the India Meteorological Department’s number through their social media accounts so that Mumbaikars can check for the latest updates before they leave home," he said.
Tuesday’s commute, however, turned out to be a nightmare despite the police’s best efforts.
"It took me three hours just to pass the WEH as there was congestion due to the rains and mismanagement," said Sanika Ved (name changed on request), a resident of Vile Parle.
Similarly, on SV Road in Andheri, people travelling from the Jogeshwari area were too stuck for prolonged hours. Several school buses and BEST buses were seen stuck on the roads, causing long traffic jams.
On the other hand, areas like Worli and Lower Parelwitnessed minimum traffic woes. "Except for some water-logging outside Prabhadevi railway station, there is barely any flooding in my area," said a resident of NM Joshi Marg.
Meanwhile, low-lying areas like Kurla and Sion were flooded, leading to vehicles crawling and pedestrians wading through the water-logged roads. People were spotted dragging their vehicles through the water-logged roads. Areas like Vakola, Parel and Santacruz, too, witnessed a similar situation, while bridges like the BKC-Chunabhatti flyover, Akurli bridge and Tembi bridge, too witnessed heavy congestion.
