Mumbai Rains Today Highlights: ‘Yellow’ alert on, most local trains back on schedule; rainfall activity to reduce further over the next 3 days

A Monorail train came to a halt for 12 minutes at Acharya Atre Chowk station in the city on Thursday morning, with officials stating that it was halted for offloading passengers and not because of any technical issue. The incident followed Tuesday's crisis situation when two Monorail trains on elevated tracks stalled and the Fire Brigade had to be called in to rescue hundreds of passengers. - PTI

The city surpassed its average quota for rainfall in less than three months, after the torrential downpour that whipped Mumbai this week

A day after two overcrowded monorail trains got stuck on elevated tracks, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on Wednesday announced a series of immediate and long-term measures to strengthen the safety of passengers and operational efficiency. In a statement, MMRDA said it has issued clear instructions to the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), which operates the Monorail, to tighten safety protocols and improve operational vigilance. As many as 782 passengers were rescued on Tuesday evening after two Monorail trains on elevated tracks got stuck between stations in Mumbai on a day of torrential rains, leading to panic and frantic rescue efforts.

A day after several parts of Mumbai got inundated owing to the incessant rainfall, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration Wednesday said that they are now targeting interventions at local level to mitigate flooding woes in Mumbai at the municipal ward level.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) said that now the administration is mooting a proposal to increase the capacity of these pumps.

As the city witnessed some respite following torrential rains, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the situation is under control, adding that all necessary precautions regarding disaster management are being taken by deploying NDRF and SDRF jawans in areas being lashed by heavy rains in the state.

Rainfall activity is likely to reduce over Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra from today onwards with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over north Konkan (including Mumbai) and isolated heavy rainfall over the region during subsequent 3 days.

Following heavy downpour over the past few days, rain activity subdued considerably on Wednesday. Records from the IMD show that between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Wednesday, the Santacruz station received only 9.8 mm rain while the Colaba coastal observatory registered a mere 0.4 mm rain.

Rainfall has reduced significantly in Mumbai since Wednesday, with no overnight showers reported, as per PTI.

Mumbai woke up to clearer skies this morning, in a much needed respite from the torrential rains (300 mm) that battered the city and neighbouring areas within just 24 hours starting Tuesday. No overnight showers were reported, news agency PTI said, adding that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had sounded a ‘yellow alert’ for the city. Rainfall activity is likely to reduce over Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra from today onwards over the next three days, the IMD said in its daily bulletin.

The situation in rain-soaked Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra is under control, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Wednesday as the state capital saw respite from torrential rains that brought the metropolis to a standstill a day earlier.

He stated that all necessary precautions regarding disaster management are being taken by deploying NDRF and SDRF jawans in areas being lashed by heavy rains in the state.

"Water discharge from dams is being managed, and the government is in touch with neighbouring states to coordinate release as per our requests," Fadnavis told reporters.

"The overall rain situation in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra is pretty much under control, though some areas were still witnessing heavy rainfall," the chief minister said.

Fadnavis reiterated that crops on 14 lakh hectares were damaged and assured government aid to affected farmers after due assessment.

The chief minister emphasised that any assistance to farmers can't be announced on the basis of the rains in the last four days.

-PTI

A day after the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) rescued 582 stranded passengers from the Monorail that got stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park due to a technical snag, Mumbai's Municipal commissioner and state appointed administrator, Bhushan Gagrani met with the team of officials involved in the rescue operation at the MFB headquarters in Byculla and congratulated them. (Express photo)

The IMD at 5.20 pm on Wednesday issued a yellow nowcast warning for Mumbai city and Mumbai suburban districts. For the next three hours, the region is slated to receive moderate spells of rain.

A train stopped near Vashi station due to a technical failure, forcing the passengers to walk along the tracks. The services resumed some time later. Following two days of heavy rain, trains on the Central and Harbour lines are experiencing delays. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)

As Mumbai experienced one of the heaviest rain spells during August, climatology experts and scientists warned that such situations will become a more common occurrence in a warming world owing to climatic factors.

After a prolonged dry patch in July, a spell of extremely heavy rain returned to the city around August 16. Usually, July is one of the wettest monsoon months for Mumbai, while the intensity of rainfall usually decreases during August.

Read full report here

At Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd (East), the flood waters have started to recede but the area is still waterlogged. On Wednesday, water was seen flowing from higher ground toward the Mankhurd T-Junction underpass. The Maharashtra Nagar tunnel near the T-junction had earlier been submerged under 7–8 feet of water. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Although the heavy rain receded Wednesday morning, dark clouds continued to hover over Navi Mumbai. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Thane district today, while an orange alert has been sounded in Mumbai and its neighboring districts of Palghar and Raigad. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Residents of Kranti Nagar in Mumbai's Kurla area clean their shops and houses on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the residents had to be evacuated by NDRF teams when the water level of the Mithi river rose, flooding the area. While some residents have returned home, others are at shelters set up by government authorities. (Express photos by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

With heavy rains over the past few days causing flood-like situation in parts of Maharashtra, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has urged the Devendra Fadnavis-led government to declare a "wet drought" and provide urgent assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare to the affected farmers.

Incessant rains over the past few days in various parts of the state, including capital Mumbai and its metropolitan region, threw life out of gear. Hundreds of people had to be shifted to safety due to flooding, which also damaged crops on a large scale. — PTI

In its afternoon bulletin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said till 08.30 am on Wednesday, heavy to very heavy rainfall was recorded at some places with exceptionally heavy rainfalls (≥40 cm) at isolated places over Konkan (coastal Maharashtra).

It added, "Heavy to very heavy rainfall with exceptionally heavy falls (≥55 cm) at isolated places over Ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra and Heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy rainfall ((≥55 cm) at isolated places over Saurashtra."

For the fourth consecutive day, Mumbai wake up to rain spells on Wednesday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) downgrading its warning from ‘red’ to ‘orange’ for Mumbai. The agency has indicated moderate to heavy spell of rainfall throughout the day along with gusty winds blowing at a speed of 40-50 kmph across the city.

In the past 24 hours, data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) automatic weather stations showed that some pockets of Mumbai received over 250 mm rainfall. Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs logged in the heaviest rainfall at 262 mm, followed by 257 mm rain in Marol.

Here are the top 10 updates of the Mumbai rains

Mumbai began road repairs, drain cleaning, tree branch removal from roads after days of heavy rainfall.

Shopkeepers were also seen cleaning up areas near their shops.

(Express Photo by Akash Patil)

Shopkeepers at Mumbai's Andheri market area were seen cleaning their shops a day after the entire area became waterlogged amid heavy rainfall.

(Express Photos by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Train services were halted between Vashi and Mankhurd on the Harbour Line for 20 minutes due to technical failure.

A truck was pulled out of the underpass which connects the highway to Maharashtra Nagar on Wednesday morning.

Over 7-8 feet of water accumulated inside the Maharashtra Nagar tunnel along Mankhurd's T-junction which got cleared Wednesday morning.

(Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert for Mumbai and its neighbouring Palghar and Raigad districts on Wednesday, indicating moderate to heavy rainfall throughout the day.

It has also issued a ‘red’ alert for Thane today. Amid predictions of rivers breaching the danger levels in Thane, the collector has declared a leave for all schools and colleges in the city.

According to a Central Railway spokesperson, the train services on Harbour line and Main line are "running smoothly" after they were restored early Wednesday.

“The Harbour line and Main line services are running smoothly after the early morning restoration. Suburban operations are normal across all sections,” the spokesperson said.

The Down Harbour line was cleared at 2.00 am and the Up line at 3.00 am, with services now plying on all sections, officials said.

Long-distance trains continued to remain affected on Wednesday owing to waterlogging in some areas.

Three services originating from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus were rescheduled on Wednesday owing to operational disruptions caused by heavy rains and waterlogging.

Here's the list of rescheduled train services:

The CSMT–Chennai Central service, scheduled to depart at 12.45 pm, was rescheduled to 4.40 pm.

The Antodaya Express to Gorakhpur, scheduled at 1.30 pm, was rescheduled to 5.15 pm.

The CSMT–Howrah Duronto Express, scheduled for 5.15 pm, will now depart at 12.15 am on August 21.

Western Railway has announced that Train No. 10115 Bandra Terminus–Madgaon Express, will short-originate from Kaman Road and remain cancelled between Bandra Terminus and Kaman Road.

A 17-year-old was killed on Tuesday after incurring an electric shock in Bhandup, Mumbai.

The victim has been identified as Deepak Ajay Pillai, who was declared dead at Ayushman hospital.

Overall, at least 32 incidents of short circuits have been reported across the city between Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

Of these, maximum cases (18) were reported from the island city division, eight cases were reported in the eastern suburbs while six cases were reported in the western suburbs.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, over 107 cases of tree and partial house collapses have been reported in Mumbai.

Of the total incidents, over 93 cases pertained to tree collapses with maximum number of reports (43) reported in the western suburbs.

The remaining 14 cases were related to wall collapses with highest number of cases (7) reported in the eastern suburbs.

In the past 24 hours, data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) automatic weather stations showed that some pockets of Mumbai received over 250 mm rain.

The heaviest rain was recorded in the eastern suburbs' Vikhroli at 262 mm, followed by 257 mm rain in Marol.

Meanwhile, Andheri's Chakala area received 244 mm rain, followed by 237 mm rain in Powai, 236mm rain in Mulund, 231 mm rain in Chembur, 220 mm rain in Borivali and 200 mm rain in Dadar.