Mumbai hit by 100 mm rainfall in 12 hours: Local train services partially affected, flights diverted

Mumbai and its suburbs received over 100 mm of rainfall in 12 hours till 8 PM on Sunday, inundating roads in many areas, diverting flights, and briefly affecting local train traffic between Dadar and Matunga stations due to water-logging.

The island city recorded 101 mm of rainfall in 12 hours from 8 AM, while eastern and western suburbs received a rainfall of 121 mm and 113 mm, respectively, officials said.

Rains abated in the night hours.

Due to intense rainfall, the Mithi river water level rose to 2.26 metres, a civic official said. Notably, the river level beyond its alarming 2.7-meter mark causes a flood. In the 2005 deluge in Mumbai, some areas in Kurla had witnessed numerous casualties.

The Mithi river originates in Sanjay Gandhi National Park and winds its way down 18 km to the Mahim Creek before emptying into the Arabian Sea.

Earlier in the day, 36 flights were cancelled at the Mumbai airport and 15 flights, including the ones operated by Air India, IndiGo and Akasa, were diverted to nearby airports, mainly Ahmedabad, till 4 pm, amid intermittent heavy spells of rain.

Heavy rains forced the facility operator to suspend runway operations twice during the day, for eight minutes at 12.12 pm and later from 1 pm to 1.15 pm, sources said.

Local train services were delayed by 15 to 20 minutes on the Harbour Line due to waterlogging near Mankhurd, Panvel and Kurla stations, while services on the Western Railway section operated normally.

In the evening, the Central Railway services on the down fast line between Dadar and Matunga stations were affected. Additionally, water logging on tracks at Dadar on the Up and Down fast line compounded the problem, an official said.

Local train services resumed later as the rain intensity decreased.

A traffic police official said Andheri Subway in DN Nagar was closed, and the southbound traffic was diverted via Gokhale Bridge and northbound traffic via Thackeray Bridge due to water accumulation.

Similarly, the Khar subway was closed, leading to traffic diversion via Linking Road. Maharashtra Nagar subway in Trombay was also shut for traffic due to flooding in the area, he said.

Several vehicles were stranded on inundated roads in Wadala and Matunga in central Mumbai, the official said.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asked officials to be on high alert in light of heavy rains in several parts of Maharashtra.

The State Disaster Response Force, the local administration, civic bodies, police, etc, should take regular updates on the weather from the India Meteorological Department and plan accordingly to provide relief to citizens, he said.

As many as 60 picnickers were rescued on Sunday after they were stuck in gushing water on a hill in Belapur node of Navi Mumbai amid heavy rains, officials said.

Navi Mumbai received 83.38 mm of rainfall in five hours ended at 1:30 PM, causing water-logging in several areas in Vashi, Nerul and Sanpada.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday criticised the Maharashtra government after video clips surfaced on social media purportedly showing policemen filling potholes on roads in Mumbai and Mira Bhayander, on the city’s outskirts.

Thackeray wondered why the men in khaki were being asked to fill the craters instead of the contracted firms owned by the allies of the BJP and the ruling alliance.