From building collapse to flooding & traffic snarls: Key points as monsoon hits Mumbai

A 70-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman died and two persons were injured after a part of the balcony of a building collapsed in Vile Parle in Mumbai on Sunday.

Two died in the Vile Parle partial building collapse.

Meanwhile, two people trapped inside a Ghatkopar (East) building died on Sunday, while four were rescued alive. On Monday, a similar incident was reported in the area when a two-storey house collapsed on an adjacent structure, injuring four persons.

Rescue operations at the Ghatkopar building ended as two people buried in the debris were declared dead. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)

In Thane, 40-foot-long wall collapsed behind Viviana Mall in the Varthak Nagar area. No injuries were reported.

A portion of a temporary structure constructed within the Deonar Abattoir ahead of Bakr-Eid, tilted owing to the pressure created by heavy rainfall on Sunday night. The structure, wherein goats had been housed and were being traded by vendors, has now been evacuated.

Traffic was diverted to SV Road after Andheri subway got flooded on Saturday, while movement of vehicles was slow on BD Road, in the vicinity of Mahalaxmi Temple and areas like Asalpha, Sakinaka junction, and Gaffar Khan Road Near Worli Sealink.

Similar conditions were witnessed in Kurla, Santacruz and SV road, while waterlogging was reported from Dadar TT, Sion Road, Tilak Nagar and Dahisar subway. Waterlogging in areas like Malad and Andheri slowed down the traffic further.

The civic body said it recovered a 165-litre fridge, a cupboard, rubber pipes and other waste from the Mogra nullah flowing near the Andheri subway. Due to this waste, the rainwater pumping machinery was blocked following heavy rains on Saturday.

As citizens battled the traffic and waterlogged roads in the city, the flooding at one spot left many in shock. As visuals showed waterlogging on the JJ flyover, people questioned how a bridge can get flooded.

Two labourers entered a drain near Govandi bus depot amid heavy rains and were washed away. Based on a complaint lodged by family members of the deceased men, the police have arrested four persons, including the labour contractor, for not providing any safety gear to the victims.

Within hours of commencement of moderate to heavy rains on Saturday, the BMC said 11 trees had fallen. A fallen tree had damaged 10 cars in Malabar Hill.

10 cars were damaged when a tree fell on them in Malabar Hill. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

While train services were unaffected by rains in Mumbai, bus services of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport were normal and there was no diversion anywhere in the city.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the new system developed to prevent flooding in the city was functioning well. He reviewed the functioning of an underground water tank installed at the Milan subway. In response to reporters questions on flooding, Shinde said the rains were awaited since a long time and people should welcome them. He said the arrival of rain is very good for the farmers.

The opposition parties, however, slammed the CM saying his claim of monsoon preparedness fell flat in the first rains and that all his "false promises, photo ops in Mumbai hold zero value".