Following heavy rains on Wednesday afternoon, several areas of Mumbai and its surrounding regions witnessed severe waterlogging, causing disruptions to road and rail traffic. However, by late Wednesday night, the rains had ceased, allowing the water on the roads to recede, and normal traffic resumed. Local trains, too, are back to running smoothly on Thursday.
"All local trains are running normally, though those on the main line are 3-4 minutes behind schedule due to rescheduled mail express movements and a few safety precautions. Everything else is normal," said Swapnil Nila, CPRO, Central Railway.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted "extremely heavy rainfall" until 8:30 am Thursday. Contrary to expectations, Thursday morning saw clear skies across Mumbai.
The rains had halted local trains and caused traffic jams, while several low-lying areas were inundated.
A total of 14 flights had to be diverted as a result. The IMD had also issued a red alert for Mumbai and neighboring districts, including Thane, Palghar, and Raigad, warning of further rainfall.
In response to the heavy downpour, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Thursday. Educational institutions in Thane, Palghar, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad also followed suit, shutting down due to the adverse weather.
Citizens were advised to stay indoors. The BMC took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to post: "Mumbaikars, if not required, avoid stepping out of home."
In a tragic incident, a 45-year-old woman drowned in an overflowing nullah in Andheri on Wednesday, police reported.
Between 5 pm and 10 pm on Wednesday, several parts of the city experienced heavy rainfall. According to the BMC, Mumbai’s island city received 87.79 mm of rain, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 167.48 mm and 95.57 mm, respectively.
With Wednesday’s rains turning roads into fast-flowing streams, emergency services were on high alert. BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani instructed all assistant commissioners to ensure that executive engineers remain stationed in ward control rooms to address any issues promptly.
