As torrential rain battered Mumbai amid the advanced onset of monsoon, the city also faced the brunt of tree falls, short circuits, and wall collapses Monday. At least 79 cases were reported across the city that caused traffic snarls and added to the frustration of commuters navigating inundated streets throughout the day. On Monday morning, the city woke up to overcast skies and heavy rain. The Colaba coastal station recorded 135mm rain between Sunday and Monday morning while the Santacruz station registered 33mm. Following this, nearly 144mm rain was recorded in Colaba between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Monday while IMD's suburban stations received 74.3mm rain. Records from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed that the heaviest downpour was logged in the island city division, with Nariman Point recording 252mm rain between 12 midnight and 11am on Monday, followed by 213mm at Byculla and 207mm at Colaba. The early onset of monsoon disrupted life in Mumbai as several areas were submerged in water. While the waterlogging triggered traffic snarls and railway disruptions, many parts of the city experienced wall collapses, short circuits, and tree collapses. In a bid to tackle the mounting reports of flooding, nearly 6,000 civic staffers, including heads of departments, health workers, pump operators as well as emergency teams were pressed on the field to aid in works. Data furnished by the civic body showed at least 45 tree collapses were reported across the city until Monday evening. Of these, the highest was recorded in the island city division (34), followed by eight in the western suburbs and three in the eastern suburbs. The civic body pressed its personnel to cut the branches and clear the tree debris across the city. However, a 24-year-old was injured after a tree collapsed near St. Xaviers College in the Fort area. The victim, who has been identified as Sairaj Pawar, was taken to St. George Hospital, wherein his condition now remains stable. At least nine partial wall collapses were reported, with the highest number of cases (7) reported in the island city division. In one incident, a portion of a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) cessed building caved in at a ground-plus-two-storey structure in Mahim West along the Cadel road. At least two locals were trapped within the debris of the partly collapsed building but were safely rescued by the fire personnel. The incident comes a day after a 15-foot-high portion of the compound wall at the Banganga tank heritage precinct collapsed Sunday evening, with officials attributing the crash to the heavy downpour early that day. Meanwhile, at least 25 cases of short circuits were reported in the city until Monday evening, of which 24 cases were reported from the island city. Officials maintained that no injuries were reported in the reports of wall collapses and short circuits. Having received the heaviest rainfall, the island city division also experienced maximum waterlogging. Significant waterlogging was observed in low-lying areas, including Hindmara Junction, Dadar, King's Circle, the J J Mandvi post office, Sakar Panchayat area, Kurne Chowk, and Sion.
