Mumbai rains: Landslide in Ghatkopar, city waterlogged

As heavy rains plagued Mumbai and its suburbs for two consecutive days, beginning Monday evening, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rain for the next 24 hours.

According to reports, the Maharashtra capital has recorded an average of 95.81 mm rainfall in a 24-hour period till 8 am on Tuesday morning. The eastern and western suburban areas of the city have received 115.09 mm and 116.73 mm rainfall respectively in the same period.

Incessant rainfall has waterlogged several parts of the city, including Andheri, Ghatkopar, Panvel, Sion and Chembur. This forced the traffic to slow causing inconvenience to residents. 

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Apart from waterlogging, the Mumbai Fire Department has revealed that a landslide incident has been reported in Ghatkopar. Experts have reached the place of the accident and no casualties have been reported.

According to the Mumbai Traffic Police, Ashish Junction in Chembur has become heavily waterlogged, which has affected traffic movement. Meanwhile, Andheri subway has been closed at 1 pm on Tuesday for all forms of traffic due to waterlogging. 

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The IMD has issued an Orange alert between June 4-8 for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra. As a precautionary measure, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed five teams in Mumbai following the IMD’s prediction.

The weather department has also predicted thunderstorms along with heavy rains and winds with speed upto 50 kmph in Marathwada.

Newly-appointed Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, has asked the district collectors and the water resources department in Mumbai and other districts to be vigilant and take necessary precaution to prevent loss of life.

The chief minister has also asked NDRF personnel to remain on high alert, especially in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Thane, Palghar,Sindhudurg and Kolhapur districts.

Despite waterlogged patches, the Mumbai local trains are operating optimally in both central and western lines, authorities revealed. Local trains in Mumbai carry up to 75 lakh passengers on an average daily. Buses on the other hand, are being diverted from lower areas which have been overcome with flooding.