Heavy rains lashed Mumbai and adjoining areas for the third consecutive day today, throwing normal life out of gear and affecting train and road traffic.Suburban train services on the harbour line of Central Railway came to a grinding halt during peak evening hours as water-logging was reported at Wadala railway station, railway sources said.With a depression in the Arabian Sea responsible for the heavy downpour, several areas of central Mumbai and western suburbs witnessed heavy water-logging prompting the civic officials to press into water pumps at nearly 85 places to drain out water.Water logging also caused a delay of 15 to 20 minutes in the schedule of suburban trains on Central and Western railway in the morning peak hours, but the schedule returned to normal later in the day, Central Railway PRO A K Singh said.With last year’s July 26 deluge still fresh in the public mind, offices and schools saw low attendance as people preferred to stay at home.Two persons who had gone for a swim at the Chenna river in neighbouring Thane district were drowned, while another person swept away in tidal waves at Worli sea face yesterday, police said.Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sources said that water-logging led to disruption of road traffic at suburban areas of Milan Subway, Dahisar, Andheri, Kurla and Sion, besides Kalachowkie in central Mumbai.BMC Commissioner Johny Joseph said that water levels had receded in the subways and other low-lying areas by the afternoon. BEST bus services were also running normal, he added.The Meteorological Department has predicted very heavy rainfall for tomorrow.Reports from various parts of Maharashtra said that heavy rains lashed the Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Konkan, where the district administration has geared up to face any eventuality.
