Mumbai: Heavy downpour hit Mumbai on Friday with several areas recording over 100 mm rainfall, water logging at low-lying areas, while road and air traffic was also disrupted. The notorious flooding spot, Andheri subway was shut down for traffic thrice on Friday. Out of total 481 dewatering pumps, 340 pumps were operated across Mumbai.
IMD Issues Orange Alert for Mumbai, Red for Palghar
The weather conditions are predicted to be similar over the weekend as well as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed Mumbai and Thane under Orange Alert for Saturday for heavy rainfall, while Palghar is placed under Red Alert.
As per local weather forecast for the next 48 hours, the clouds will be generally cloudy with possibility of heavy to very heavy rain in city and suburbs. Occasional gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph are also very likely. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 29°C and 24°C.
Suburbs Worst-Hit: 100+ mm Rainfall in Several Pockets
The intense rainspells started on Thursday night and continued whole day on Friday. The subrubs were more hit than the city area. In the period of 12 hours (from Thursday 7 pm to Friday 7 pm) the weather stations which received more than 100 mm rainfall included: Malpa Dongari, Andheri (122 mm); K West ward office, Andheri West (112 mm); Aarey road, Goregaon (107 mm); Nariyalwadi, Santacruz (109 mm), BKC fire station (103 mm); Ramabai Nagar, Ghatkopar (105 mm); Tagore Nagar, Vikhroli (102 mm); MCMCR, Powai (103 mm) and others.
Flight Delays at CSMIA, Airlines Issue Travel Advisories
Due to heavy downpour, air traffic at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) slowed down and several airlines issuing travel advisor for the flyers. With the uninterrupted rains till noon, multiple flights recorded delays in departure.
According to Flightradar24, CSMIA recorded a disruption index of 2.8 signalling minor problems with some delays or a few cancellations with an average delay of 34 minutes.
IndiGo, Akasa Ask Flyers to Factor In Road Congestion
"We are seeing a chance of delays and slower traffic to and from the airport. While we can’t control the skies, we’re doing everything possible to keep your journey steady on the ground," IndiGo said.
Similarly, Akasa Air also posted an update for the travellers anticipating slow moving traffic and congestion on the roads leading to the airport. “To ensure a seamless travel experience, we request you to plan for additional travel time to reach the airport well in time for your flight,” its advisory said.
Suburban Trains Mostly On Track, Central Line Faces Minor Delays
Meanwhile, Mumbai's suburban railway services did not witness significant disruption due to the rainfall. A spokesperson from Western Railway (WR) confirmed that local trains were running normally on Friday.
However, a spokesperson from Central Railway (CR) reported that due to heavy rain, suburban trains were experiencing delays of 8 to 10 minutes on Friday.
BEST Bus Services Remain Steady Despite Waterlogging in Some Areas
Bus services operated by BEST were mostly unaffected as well. An official noted that while some routes experienced waterlogging, the majority of buses continued to run as scheduled.
With inputs from Kamal Mishra & Dhairya Gajara
