Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’ warning for Mumbai, Maharashtra, till 8:30am, September 26, forcing the brihanmumbai municipal corporation to declare a holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai and its suburbs.
School education minister Deepak Kesarkar, the guardian minister for Mumbai city, declared a holiday as heavy rain pounded Mumbai.
The IMD has also issued a ‘red alert’ for heavy rainfall in the Palghar and Nashik districts of Maharashtra and an ‘orange alert’ for Mumbai on Thursday in its overall forecast for the next five days.
Torrential rain hit Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra on Wednesday, causing widespread disruptions, including delays in local train and flight services, and severe waterlogging, which led to traffic congestion across several areas.
In response to the IMD’s heavy rain forecast, officials in, Mumbai Pune, Thane, and Palghar have announced the closure of schools and colleges on Thursday.
The weather agency has issued an ‘orange alert’ for heavy to very heavy rainfall, along with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in isolated areas of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Dhule, Nandurbar, and Pune. The regional meteorological centre in Mumbai stated, “Heavy to very heavy rainfall & Thunderstorm with lightning & gusty winds at isolated places Very Likely” in its latest weather bulletin.
Additionally, the department has warned of heavy rainfall in Madhya Maharashtra, as well as the Gujarat region, Konkan, and Goa, with the rain likely to continue from Thursday until Friday.
Here’s how torrential rains affected Maharashtra
Waterlogging reported: Severe waterlogging and traffic disruptions were observed in various areas of the city. A landslide at the Mumbra bypass further impacted movement. Areas like Kurla East, Nehru Nagar, and Chembur were heavily waterlogged, while significant traffic jams were reported on the Kurla bridge due to the rainfall.
Schools holiday in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Palghar: The BMC announced a holiday for all schools and colleges in Mumbai for Thursday, September 26, due to the heavy rain alert issued by IMD. The BMC urged citizens to leave their homes only if necessary. Similarly, Pune’s District Collector Suhas Diwase, declared a public holiday for all schools and colleges in Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad following IMD’s orange alert. Thane Municipal Corporation also declared a holiday for all private and public schools. The Palghar district administration has announced that all public and private schools and colleges in the district will remain closed.
Local train services: Mumbai’s local train services on the Harbour line resumed after water levels receded following heavy rains on Wednesday. Trains were delayed and running at reduced speeds, as confirmed by Central Railways. In a statement, the CPRO of Central Railway said, “Harbour line local trains have resumed after the water receded between Govandi-Mankhurd. Trains are running with caution and a restricted speed of 25kmph. Services resumed at 11.23 pm.” With rainfall easing and water clearing from the tracks, train services on the Central Railway’s main line also resumed.
Landslide: Heavy rains triggered a landslide at the Mumbra bypass around 11:30 pm on Wednesday, causing a three-hour-long traffic jam. Fire officer Swapnil Sarnobat confirmed that no casualties were reported, and the traffic department managed the situation by controlling traffic from one side. The road was cleared using JCB machinery, and vehicles resumed movement towards Thane.
Woman drowns to death: A 45-year-old woman, Vimal Gaikwad, drowned in an open drain in the MIDC area of Andheri after heavy rains on Wednesday. BMC officials reported that she was rescued by the Mumbai fire brigade and taken to Cooper Hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Flight delays: A total of 14 incoming flights to Mumbai Airport were diverted on Wednesday due to heavy rainfall, according to an airport official. Of these, nine were IndiGo flights that were not cleared to land because of the bad weather. The remaining diverted flights included two from Vistara, and one each from Air India, Akasa, and Gulf Air. Seven flights were redirected to Hyderabad, four to Ahmedabad, two to Mopa Airport in Goa, and one to Udaipur. Continuous heavy rainfall since the afternoon caused waterlogging and traffic disruptions in the city.
