The India Meteorology Department (IMD) has predicted that rains in the city will intensify next week. In its five-day district forecast, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai for Sunday (June 30), indicating moderate to heavy rainfall, and an orange alert for Monday (July 1), indicating heavy to very heavy rains.IMD officials said the rains are likely to intensify owing to strengthening of the westerly winds. "The westerly winds have started to gather strength again and a trough has developed in the west coast leading to low pressure.This is a favourable condition for heavy to very heavy rainfall, which is likely to occur over the next few days," an official told The Indian Express on Saturday.Meanwhile, IMD data shows that in the past 24 hours Mumbai's Santacruz observatory recorded 33 mm rainfall, while the coastal observatory at Colaba recorded 25 mm rainfall. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 44.7 mm rainfall was recorded in the island city, followed by 41.89 mm in eastern suburbs and 26.68 mm in western suburbs.Besides Mumbai, orange alerts have also been issued for Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg districts. Meanwhile, for Thane and Palghar districts yellow alert has been issued for next five days.Mumbai's water stock in all the seven lakes is at 5.4% as on Saturday and for the stocks to go up, heavy rainfall is required in the catchment areas of the lakes at Thane, Palghar and Nashik.
