Mumbai : Heavy rain lashed Mumbai through the night, leading to widespread waterlogging in several low-lying areas of the city, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD)issued an Orange Alert for Mumbai and adjoining districts.
The alert, issued early Wednesday morning, warned of moderate to intense spells of rain over Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Palghar and Sindhudurg for a short-duration nowcast window, advising residents to take necessary precautions.
The broader day-long alert picture has Mumbai, its suburbs and Palghar on red alert, Thane on orange, and Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg on yellow.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the nowcast warning remained in force till 10:00 am as intermittent heavy showers continued across the city and suburbs, accompanied by cloudy skies and chances of lightning and thunder. Despite the intense rainfall, the Western Railway confirmed that suburban train services on key routes, including the Harbour Line and Churchgate-Dahanu corridor, were running normally during the morning rush hours.
However, persistent overnight showers triggered waterlogging in parts of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. According to the BMC, the Andheri subway was shut for vehicular movement after it was inundated due to heavy waterlogging caused by incessant rains.
As per BMC rainfall data recorded between 8:00 am and 11:00 pm on June 23, the city received an average rainfall of 56 mm, while the eastern suburbs recorded 23 mm and the western suburbs received 33 mm. During the one hour between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm, several locations in the western suburbs recorded significant rainfall, including Charkop Sector 1 Municipal School in Kandivali (32 mm), MHB Municipal School in Malad (28 mm), Gajdharbandh Storm Water Pumping Station (26 mm), Banana Leaf and Juhu Dispensary (22 mm), and Nariyalwadi School in Santacruz (21 mm).
The BMC said all subways, except the flooded Andheri underpass, remained functional, while railway traffic across the city continued to operate normally. Speaking on the situation, a BMC official, Rhitik, said that civic authorities were yet to find a temporary solution to the severe waterlogging at the site.
"We have not been able to find a temporary solution for this severe waterlogging. Our officers keep standing here to ensure vehicles don't pass through. But some rickshaw drivers still try to get their vehicles across. A rickshaw got stuck here in the centre of the subway. His life was in danger. Two of our officers helped bring him out," he told news agency on Tuesday.
Another BMC official, Robert, said teams were working continuously to prevent vehicles from entering the flooded underpass. "We are doing our best to ensure that no vehicles get inside the underpass. We are trying to protect as many people as possible," he told news agency.
A resident also highlighted drainage issues, saying, "All manholes that should drain water are blocked. We are struggling to even reach colleges due to flooding." The Authorities continue to monitor the situation as heavy rain is expected to persist along the west coast.