Mumbai Hit by 265 mm Rain in 24 Hours, Schools Closed As City Battles Waterlogging

Mumbai: Heavy rains have disrupted normal life in Maharashtra's capital, Mumbai. Flight operations at the airport are also being disrupted due to the heavy downpour. Waterlogged roads have led to the closure of several routes. Several trees were also reported to have fallen across the city on Sunday due to the heavy storm and rain. A multi-story chawl collapsed in the Mankhurd area late in the evening. Amidst all this, the India Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rain alert for July 6.

What did the IMD say?

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for heavy rain accompanied by strong winds. In response to the alert issued by the weather department, the BMC has declared a holiday for all government and private schools, including BMC-run schools.

At least 16 trains were cancelled while nine others were diverted amid heavy rain and the IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai and a red alert for Pune.

The IMD has issued a heavy rain alert for Mumbai on Monday. Mumbai also experienced heavy rainfall on Sunday. According to the BMC, Mumbai city recorded over 265 mm of rain from 6 pm on July 4 to 6 pm on July 5. The suburbs also received over 227 mm of rain during this period. Gaganbawada recorded the highest rainfall of 143.1 mm.

What did the BMC say?

All government and private schools in Mumbai will be closed on July 6. The BMC stated that this decision was taken to ensure the safety of students.

A statement issued by the BMC stated that in view of the weather alert and for the safety of students, a holiday has been declared for all government and private schools on Monday. However, the BMC also clarified that this order applies only to schools. All government and private offices will remain open as usual.

The University of Mumbai has postponed all examinations scheduled for July 6. New dates will be announced later. The administration has appealed to people to leave their homes only for essential work.

Thane District Magistrate Shrikrishna Nath Panchal has also declared a holiday for all schools in the district. According to the order issued by the District Magistrate, all Anganwadi, Balwadi, primary, and secondary schools in Thane district will be closed on Monday. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has also declared a holiday for all schools. Mayor Sujata Patil and Commissioner Kailash Shinde have appealed to people to stay indoors.

Where did the landslide happen?

Heavy rains have caused landslides in several areas of the Mumbai-Pune Ghat section. Large boulders and mud have fallen onto the tracks, disrupting train services. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has reviewed the situation. He stated that teams are fully prepared and working to clear the tracks and restore train services as soon as possible.

According to Central Railway, local trains are running normally on all four corridors. Trains on the main line are running with a delay of 6 to 8 minutes, while those on the Harbour Line are running with a delay of 4 minutes. Trains on the Transharbour and Uran-Belapur lines are running on schedule, while several Central Railway trains have been cancelled.