Mumbai: The city of Mumbai was brought to a standstill on Wednesday by an intense spell of heavy rainfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert earlier in the day, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, which proved accurate. IMD has issued red alert for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Satara, while Thane, Mumbai, Palghar, Sindhudurg, Pune and Kolhapur is on Orange alert expecting extremely heavy rainfall.
The rains, which began early Wednesday morning, intensified throughout the day, causing widespread disruption and chaos across the city. The suburbs were particularly hard-hit, with waterlogging reported in several areas. Four lakes that supply water to the city overflowed, causing flooding in several low-lying areas.
Kalina-Santacruz reported extremely heavy rainfall. Gates of housing societies were half-submerged in water, and many vehicles were damaged due to the floodwaters. The Western Express Highway was also flooded, causing massive traffic jams. The Andheri Subway was shut down for the day due to flooding. The BEST bus service was disrupted in several areas, including Seepz Village, where potholes on the service road forced buses to detour via the Seepz flyover.
In the eastern suburbs, Chembur saw knee-deep waterlogging. Kurla-CST Road, known for its automobile repair shops, was also flooded. Parts of Gandhi Market and King's Circle were underwater for most of the day.
The Marine Drive area was particularly affected, with high waves crashing onto the roads and seawater flowing into residential areas. Residents of Kranti Nagar in Kurla were advised to stay indoors as the Mithi River approached the danger level, with water levels reaching 2.6 meters against the warning level of 2.7 meters.
Gusty winds led to several trees falling across the city, causing damage and disrupting the power supply in some areas. A safety wall collapsed at Matoshree-Kalanagar after a tree branch fell on it in the early hours of the morning. A house collapsed in BMC's M-East ward at Sahyadri Nagar in Vashi-Chembur. Thane district has also been experiencing intense rains for the past 48 hours, prompting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to hold a meeting with disaster department officials.
The heavy downpour led to numerous incidents across the city, including 32 complaints of falling branches and trees, nine short circuit incidents, and a significant fire outbreak at Kanakia Sarmapan Tower in Borivali (East), which injured three people and caused one fatality. Wall collapses and landslides were also reported in several areas.
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The NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed across the city to respond to emergencies. A total of 18 NDRF teams and six SDRF teams are stationed in Maharashtra.
Rainfall data of past 24 hours released by the BMC showed that Malpa Dogari Municipal School recorded the highest rainfall at 157 mm, followed closely by Paspoli Powai Municipal School at 155 mm and Dindoshi Colony Municipal School at 154 mm. From 8am to 7pm on 25th July Mumbai City recorded 58.54mm rainfall, Eastern Suburbs recorded 73.79mm and Western Suburbs saw 58.31mm rainfall.
As a precautionary measure, all schools and colleges in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation area have been declared closed.