Heavy rains lashed parts of Mumbai and neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra on Wednesday, affecting some local train and bus services due to water-logging on rail tracks and roads.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that due to strengthening of the Southwest monsoon, Mumbai and it nearby areas are witnessing heavy rainfall. As per IMD’s bulletin, southwesterly monsoon flow has strengthened over the Arabian sea at both surface and lower troposphere. "Presently, strong squally winds with wind speed reaching 50-60kmph are prevailing over east-central Arabian Sea and adjoining areas, along and off south Gujarat- Konkan-Karnatak Coast, over Mumbai and also over south and central Bay of Bengal," said the bulletin.
Meanwhile, IMD Mumbai centre's deputy director general K S Hosalikar said that the cloud activity indicates that there would be one more intense rainfall day on Wednesday. "Heavy to very heavy with isolated extremely heavy rains possible in next 24 over entire Konkan region. In North Konkan the impact could be more including Thane, Mumbai and Palghar," he tweeted.
Parts of south Madhya Maharashtra and adjoining Marathwada region are also likely to get very heavy rainfall, along with intense spells, he said. "With formation of low pressure area on Tuesday in North Bay, as forecast by the IMD, it has resulted into strengthening of lower level southerly winds over Arabian sea. It has brought heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in and around Mumbai,” Hosalikar said.
The weather agency also gave a red alert for August 4 and 5, advising citizens not to visit near the shore and low-lying areas. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Mumbai moved one team for Palghar in light of the flood-like situation that prevailed in the city on Tuesday.
Since Tuesday night, the western suburbs here received 82.43 mm rain, followed by eastern suburbs-69.11 mm and the island city-45.38 mm, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
(Inputs from Agencies)
