Waterworld

MUMBAI, September 17: Five died and thirty people were reported missing as heavy rains continued to lash Thane, Dombivli, Kalyan, Ulhasna...

MUMBAI, September 17: Five died and thirty people were reported missing as heavy rains continued to lash Thane, Dombivli, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath and Badlapur for the fourth consecutive day today flooding low-lying areas and crippling local and long-distance train services. A family of three drowned in a flooded nullah at Gholapnagar in Kalyan, while a 13-year-old handicap youth, Shivlal Sharma died when he fell in an overflowing drain in Thane town. Another 18-year-old boy, son of a Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation UMC member, was electrocuted when he stepped into a puddle in which a naked live wire was lying.

Navy was called in to help civil authorities after a red alert was sounded in Thane district where thousands were trapped in flood waters at Manore village in Palghar taluka, 100 km from here. Preliminary reports said 30 villagers were missing and that the village had lost contact with the rest of the district.It rained non-stop see table between 6.30 on Wednesday and 4.00 pm today leadingto swollen Surya river flooding several villages in Thane district. Manore on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway was the worst-hit. A Naval helicopter with a 15-member divers team summoned to evacuate people could not land due to the inclement weather. District Collector Shrikant Singh, who has been monitoring the situation, told newspersons that two power boats had been rushed to Manore. But, he had no information if the rescue operation had begun. Senior officials including District Superintendent of Police Ashok Kamte and Additional Collector R D Shinde were monitoring the arrangements at Manore, sources added.

Meanwhile, extensive flooding in the low-lying areas disrupted rail traffic on both the Nasik and Pune lines beyond Kalyan as the rail embankments were breached at Asangaon and Vithalwadi. The tracks were also submerged at various points leading to only a skeletal local service between CST and Kalyan. The railway authorities were not taking any chances and had called the Navy to assist them in the floodstricken areas. Fifteen Navy personnel equipped with inflatable boats were stationed at Kalyan.

The worst affected perhaps were the thousands of passengers stuck in trains held up at various points near Kalyan. The Pune-Mumbai Passenger, Madras-Mumbai Mail, Minar Express, Jayanti Janta Express, Siddeshwar Express, Chennai-Dadar Express were stuck at various points between Ambernath and Karjat. The BJP workers led by the Ambernath Municipal Council chairperson Purnima Kabre were distributing food packets to the passengers. The Varanasi-Kurla Express, Dadar-Amritsar Express and Devgiri Express were stuck at Khadavli, Kasara and Igatpuri respectively while the Kurla Howrah Express, Mumbai-Howrah Express, Mumbai-Ferozepore Express were indefinitely delayed.The heavy rains turned to a torrential downpour after 7.00 am today as strong winds accompanied by lightening and thunder hit the region. With the sluice gates of both the Barvi and the Chikloli dams at Badlapur open the waters swelled up in the Ulhas andKalu rivers and only added to the flooding further downstream in Amberanth, Ulhasnangar and Kalyan.

The ground floor of buildings in the Kansai and Katrap areas in Badlapur were submerged completely, while an entire slum colony at Rameshwadi on the Ulhas bank was washed away when the river broke its banks. There was, however, no loss of life as the residents had been shifted to safer places before hand.

In Ambernath, there was waist-deep water in the main market area, Kondeshwar area, Bhendi Pada, Dharamsee Morarjee Company premises, and Balaji Nagar areas. In Ulhasnangar too low-lying areas of Hira Baug, Shanti Nagar and Chandibai College compound were submerged.

In Kalyan more than 60 per cent of the township was flooded. With low-lying areas already facing floods for the past three days today8217;s rains only added to their woes. Jijamamta Nagar, Malhar Nagar where people had to be rescued in boats, Chikale Baug, Narayanwadi, Joshi Baug, Ram Baug, Chikanghar, Beturkar Pada, Joshi Baug, Shivaji Chowkand the entire market area was flooded, with waters rising upto chest level. Particularly badly hit were the housing colonies in Gholap Nagar where the waters reached waist level even on first floors. Voluntary groups distributing food packets could not enter Gholap Nagar as the Waldhuni nullah that runs through the area was in spate.

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Ajay Kumar Chugh, a local resident told Express Newsline over the telephone, 8220;Some neighbours who had sent their children to school are worried about how they will return or where they will stay as the parents are stuck here and the kids are stuck outside.8221;

The entire area outside Dombivli station on the eastern side was completely submerged. Going to the station meant wading through waist-deep water. In Bhiwandi the Idgah area and the Nizampura area near the tehsildar office was flooded while in Thane town Prem Nagar Daulat Nagar and Baramullah areas were affected.

In Mira-Bhayander, almost all the arterial roads like the Station Road, Navghar Road, Ghoddeo Roadand all small lanes and bylanes were inundated. The worst affected were the residents of Mira Road where both the station roads were submerged in water and autos had stopped running. Roads leading to Shanti Nagar, Asmita Complex, Shital Nagar and Naya Nagar too had at least knee-deep water.

Heavy rains to continue

The weather bureau stated that a low depression over North Gujarat, near Idar has caused the sudden downpour. While Colaba recorded a rainfall of 9.4 mm, Santacruz recorded 115.0 mm in the last 24 hours. The bad news is that rains are expected to play havoc on Friday as well. The weather bureau persisting with its conservative forecast has predicted a heavy to intermittent rains in the city. Knowing the city8217;s streak, the law of averages should put that at more heavy and continuous instead of intermittent.