Amid a red alert and high tide, torrential rain crippled life in Mumbai on Saturday.
With over 200-mm rain lashing pockets of the city in a span of 10 hours, traffic came to a standstill and people were left wading through knee-deep waters after the Mogra nalla and its associated drains overflowed in the western suburbs on Saturday afternoon.
The inundated streets nudged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to enforce road closures across suburbs like Andheri, Vikhroli and Chembur.
In no respite from the downpour, heavy showers continued to sweep the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for Saturday. Data from the weather department and BMC’s automatic weather stations showed between 8 am and 6 pm, Vikhroli area received 247-mm rain, Powai logged 240 mm, 220 mm in Chincholi and 208 mm in Andheri. In the neighbouring district of Navi Mumbai, over 180 mm rainfall was recorded between 8.30 am and 6.30 pm in Airoli, followed by 155 mm rain in Digha and 143 mm rain in Koparkhairne.
According to IMD records, the Santacruz station recorded 164 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Saturday.
Mogra nalla overflows, traffic takes a hit
Throwing life out of gear in the suburbs, Mogra nalla — a key drain flowing through Andheri east and west before finally emptying into the Arabian sea through the Versova creek — started overflowing around noon on Saturday. Alongside, drains associated with the Mogra drainage network also started to overflow.
As the drain breached the normal levels, its water spilled onto the streets along Andheri subway as well as the adjoining carriageways like SV road in Andheri and Link road among others.
With continuous showers battering the region, the floodwater on the streets did not recede leaving the entire belt waterlogged for several hours. In what added to the civic woes were the 4.26-metre high tides at 2.50 pm.
According to Murji Patel, MLA from Andheri East, the water from Mogra drain overflowed nearly 10-feet beyond its normal levels. “This is a chronic flood-prone spot. However, this time, the incoming water from Jogeshwari where the drain starts was nearly four times above normal. Owing to the heavy downpour and the high tides, the water has been unable to subdue.”
As a precautionary measure, the BMC shut all vehicular movement along key roads including Noor-e-Ilahi Seva road in Chembur, Veera Desai Road in Andheri, Municipal Market road, SV road in Andheri, Andheri subway, Vikhroli Huma mall junction as well as Gandhinagar junction and Paresh Park.
To prevent entry, the traffic police and ward staffers cordoned off the flooded streets taking a significant hit on traffic and pedestrian movement.
Floodwaters entered shops situated along the route, while pedestrians negotiated through knee deep waters throughout the day. Meanwhile, with several roads shut, vehicles were diverted through alternative routes adding to traffic woes all over the city.
As heavy showers obscured visibility, traffic crawled along arterial routes including Western Express Highway, New Link road, SV road amongst others. Water logging was also reported along the eastern suburbs, wherein the heaviest showers were registered on Saturday afternoon.
Railway, Metro services affected
The unabated spells took a toll on railway and metro services during the day. According to officials, railway services were impeded along the Central and Western lines. Along the western line, rainwater flooded the railway track sections between Virar and Nalasopara delaying rail services by nearly 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, the central railway’s main line services between Kalyan and CSMT were delayed by 20-25 minutes while trains along the Harbour line ran with a delay of 10-15 minutes.
Furthermore, services on the Mumbai Metro line 2A (Dahisar to Andheri West) faced a technical glitch around 11 am. Until the issue was resolved by 12.30 pm, commuters faced long wait times and crowding owing to an increase in wait time.
No respite in sight; Mumbai under red alert till Monday
In its forecast bulletin, the IMD has indicated no signs of slowdown in rain across the Mumbai Metropolitan region until Monday morning. Mumbai and its neighbouring districts will remain under a red alert through Sunday, after which rain is likely to subside. Meanwhile, Palghar has been placed under a red alert throughout Sunday and Monday.
The interrupted spells of rainfall have been driven by a combination of active monsoon systems like an off-shore trough which is forecast to persist throughout the week, a shear zone between the upper and lower tropospheric levels and a low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal. According to meteorologists, the low pressure area is set to become more well-marked during the weekend, inducing moisture and heavy downpour.
As per current observations, rain activity is likely to slow after Monday with the IMD sounding a yellow alert across Konkan from Tuesday morning.
Pedestrians and motorists navigate a rain-soaked street amid heavy monsoon showers in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Akash Patil) 
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