Mumbai: Torrential rain has lashed Mumbai on Thursday leading to water logging in low-lying areas and resulting in slow movement of vehicles in many parts of Mumbai.
Areas such as Churchgate and Marine Lines in SoBo, which usually do not experience flooding, were also waterlogged. The downpour affected train and bus services.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had declared a red alert in Mumbai for Thursday, following which the authorities declared a holiday for all schools. Thus, the crowd on the streets, as well as at bus stops and railway stations was less than usual, especially with many people preferring to work from home.
However, those who had to venture out faced traffic jams and water logging.
There was water logging at Andheri Subway, Sion Gandhi Market, King Circle, Chembur Shell Colony, Dadar TT, Parel, Matunga Highway, Byculla, Dockyard, Trombay Freeway, Poinsor Subway, Kalbadevi, Oshiwara, Magathane, Ghatkopar, Andheri DN Nagar, Govandi, Mankhurd, Dharavi, Mahim, Bhandup, Malad, Goregaon, and the Kandivali Bandra area.
Waterlogging in Marine Lines and Chruchgate
Marine Lines and Churchgate areas also experienced waterlogging, with knee-deep water accumulating outside Churchgate station.
BMC clarified that small stones had clogged the water drainage outlet near Marine Drive seashore and said that this was one of the reasons for the waterlogging outside Churchgate station. Ward workers were seen removing the gravel and stones to ensure smooth flow of stormwater into the sea.
BEST services disrupted
The heavy rainfall led to chaos in the city's transport services, with disruptions in local train services and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus operations. Commuters faced extensive delays as waterlogging and track failures wreaked havoc.
Waterlogging in the Kalyan section severely affected local train services on the Central Railway’s main line. Commuters had to endure delays of up to 30 minutes, leading to massive crowds at Thane, Dombivli, and Kalyan stations.
Western Railway (WR) authorities claimed that local train services were running smoothly, but passengers painted a different picture. Slow local train services of WR were delayed by up to 10 minutes near Bhayendar because of track failure in the morning. The Churchgate-Marine Lines section faced waterlogging up to rail level because of the ongoing coastal road work, affecting trains services.
Waterlogging also disrupted bus services, leading to long queues at several bus stops, especially in the evening. In Borivali, BEST had to divert some bus routes to ensure passenger safety and maintain smooth traffic flow.
Orange alert for Friday
IMD has issued an orange alert for Friday for Mumbai, Raigad and Thane.
The average rainfall in Mumbai till 6 pm was 83.23 mm in the city area, 95.01 mm and 62.72mm in the eastern and western suburbs, according to the IMD. The Colaba observatory recorded 223.02 mm rainfall, while the Santacruz observatory recorded 145.01 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours.
There were as many as 15 incidents of tree falling, 7 incidents of wall collapses and 13 incidents of short circuits in Mumbai.
The water stock in the lakes was 8,91,274 million liters, which is 61.58 per cent of the total capacity.
