Red Alert in Mumbai: Heavy Rains Prompt School Closures

Mumbai, Aug 18 (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'red alert' for Mumbai and its neighboring areas, predicting extremely heavy rains at isolated places on Monday. This prompted the city's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), to declare a holiday for all schools and colleges.

The BMC has advised residents to venture out only if necessary, as several roads have flooded due to the heavy rains continuing for the third consecutive day. Water accumulation in low-lying areas like the Andheri Subway and Lokhandwala Complex has disrupted traffic movement.

Though local trains, crucial for commuting in the metropolis, were operating, they ran 8 to 10 minutes late. The suburban services on the Central Railway route faced disruptions due to water on tracks, particularly on the Harbour Line, and issues with track changing points between Kurla and Tilak Nagar stations.

Motorists reported impaired visibility and slowed vehicular movement due to blinding rain in parts of the city. Officials have stated that there were no route diversions for bus services by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.

The IMD has extended the red alert to include Thane and Raigad districts, anticipating heavy to very heavy rainfalls at a few locations and extremely heavy showers at isolated spots on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, a red alert was also issued for Ratnagiri district, while Sindhudurg is under an orange alert on Monday and Tuesday.

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani announced the closure of all educational institutions in the afternoon session, prioritizing student safety as rains continued since morning. The civic body urged residents to call its disaster control helpline at 1916 for emergencies or official updates.

Mumbai has been experiencing heavy rain since Saturday. After abundant overnight rain on Monday, the downpour intensified from 9 am, with the island city, eastern and western suburbs recording 37 mm, 39 mm, and 29 mm, respectively, in just one hour.

Chembur in the eastern suburbs recorded the highest one-hour rainfall at 65 mm, followed by Shivaji Nagar's 50 mm. In the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Monday, the island city averaged 54.58 mm of rain, the eastern suburbs 72.61 mm, and the western suburbs 65.86 mm.

Several areas recorded rainfall exceeding 100 mm during this period.

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