Rains pound Mumbai; road and rail traffic hit, govt offices shut

Torrential rains in Mumbai on Tuesday inundated several low-lying areas, slowed down road traffic and local train services, affecting normal life in the metropolis and neighbouring areas.

The city civic body said the government and semi-government offices here will remain closed on Tuesday and appealed to the private establishments to allow their employees to work from home and avoid unncessary travel.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in a statement on Tuesday morning, announced the closure as a precautionary measure, in view of the continuous heavy rains in the city and suburbs and the 'red alert' warning issued by the IMD.

The statement said the decision applies to all BMC offices and state-run establishments, excluding essential services.

Schools and colleges were also shut in view of the relentless rains and the 'red alert' warning issued by the IMD, which forecast extremely heavy showers at isolated places in Mumbai and neighbouring districts on Tuesday.

The Mumbai Police appealed to residents to step out of homes only if necessary and also requested the private sector to allow work from home.

Several parts of Mumbai received more than 200 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, with Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs reporting the highest downpour at 255.5 mm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The Directorate of Higher Education has declared a holiday for all senior colleges in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. The order applies to colleges in Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.

A day after heavy showers battered Mumbai, its residents again faced the rain fury on Tuesday as various roads were submerged and traffic movement was disrupted since early morning.

Local train services were delayed and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking's bus services were diverted at a few locations due to submerged roads, as per officials.

Several parts of the city, including Borivali, Andheri, Sion, Dadar and Chembur, witnessed intense downpour through the night and the rain continued in the morning as well, resulting in water-logging in low-lying areas, including Gandhi Market.

As per civic officials, the island city recorded more rain compared to suburbs between 5 am and 6 am on Tuesday.

Mumbai Central, Parel, Grant Road, Malabar Hill, Dadar, Worli and some other areas recorded 40 mm to 65 mm rainfall in just one hour, leading to water-logging at many places.

People complained of waterlogging on railway tracks in low-lying areas of Dadar, Matunga, Parel and Sion.

The railway authorities, however, claimed the water was below the track level and hence train movement was unaffected though the services were delayed.

Waterlogging was also reported at Hindmata, Andheri Subway and in some parts of the Eastern Express Highway, Mumbai-Gujarat highway and the Eastern Freeway.

To make the situation worse, there was an early morning technical snag in the signalling system between Ambivali and Shahad stations on the Mumbai suburban network.

Local trains on the Central Railway's main line were running late by 10 minutes and on the harbour line trains by 5 minutes around 8 am, as per a CR spokesperson.

A Western Railway spokesperson said their suburban services were running a little late due to poor visibility.

All agencies in the city were on alert mode.

Considering the situation, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti appealed to people to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.

"Good Morning Mumbai, Hope you are adhering to the safety guidelines in wake of the heavy showers expected today," he said in a post on X.

"Please take care, step out only if necessary, prevent going near the shore during high tide and don't forget, you will find us around the corner for help, in case of any emergency," the official said.

Requesting the private sector to enable work from home as much as possible, he added.

Rainfall during the early morning hours and late evening could lead to traffic snarls as there was 3.75 metre high tide at 9.16 am and of 3.14 metres to occur at 8.53 pm.

In the 24-hour period ending at 8 am on Tuesday, the island city, eastern and western suburbs recorded an average rainfall of 186.43 mm, 208.78 mm and 238.19 mm, respectively, an official said.

In the forecast for Tuesday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted "very heavy to extremely heavy" rainfall in the city and suburbs of Mumbai with occasional gusty winds reaching 45-55 kmph.

Vikhroli reported the highest downpour at 255.5 mm, followed by Byculla at 241 mm, Juhu 221.5 mm and Bandra 211 mm, the IMD said.

The city's Mahalaxmi area recorded comparatively lower rainfall at 72.5 mm, it added.