new delhi, Aug 19
Normal life was disrupted in Mumbai and adjoining areas on Tuesday as cloudburst-like heavy downpour continued to lash many places in Maharashtra since the last two days.
Some villages in Vidarbha have been cut off due to flooding in rivers and drains. The meteorological department has warned of heavy rains in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts. Heavy rains continued overnight disrupting the suburban local train service, known as the lifeline of Mumbai, due to which people are stranded at various places. After reviewing the situation, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “Mumbai and its suburbs are flooded. Many low lying areas are flooded. 200 mm of rain fell in six hours and 300 mm in 24 hours. Due to this, the Mithi river has also been flooded. Municipal Corporation employees and officials are working. 525 pumps have been started. There are 10 mini pumping stations. Holding ponds have also overflowed. “Therefore, this situation has arisen due to the overall heavy rainfall in a short time. Recognizing the risk of flooding in the Mithi river, we have evacuated 300 people. Everyone is working in the field to prevent loss of life and damage in Mumbai. Six pumping stations are also working. There has been heavy rainfall in a short time due to which this situation arose,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office informed that nearly 350 people from Mumbai’s Kurla area were shifted to safer locations as the Mithi river in the city swelled after torrential rains on Tuesday.
“In Mumbai, the rain continues unabated, with an average of more than 150 mm of rainfall recorded from 4 AM to 11 AM on Tuesday. The suburbs have seen even higher amounts. The water level of the Mithi river has risen to 3.9 meters, and 350 residents from Kurla Krantinagar have been relocated to safer places,” the Chief Minister’s Office tweeted on X.
“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is continuously reviewing the situation, and the Municipal Commissioner is keeping a close watch on the circumstances,” the tweet by the Chief Minister’s Office stated.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who visited the disaster management control room to take stock of the situation, said, “Prima facie, some 10 lakh hectares of agricultural land in Maharashtra has got submerged due to widespread showers in the state. The process of assessment of damage will begin after the intensity of the rain reduces.”
On Tuesday, Mumbai civic authorities appealed to residents in vulnerable stretches near the Mithi river to remain alert and avoid venturing into flooded zones.
According to officials, some water holding ponds created by the civic body also overflowed due to the heavy rains.
After the catchment areas of Vihar, Tulsi and Powai lakes received incessant showers since the last four days and reservoirs filled up to the brim, the excess water flowed into the Mithi river, leading to a rise in its level, civic officials said.
However, so far the Mithi river has not yet crossed its danger mark of 4.2 metres. Earlier on Tuesday, water level rose to 3.9 metres, but receded to 3.7 metres around noon, a civic official said.
Yet, Central Railway’s suburban train service between Thane and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) was completely shut down due to waterlogging at Chunabhatti station, while train services on the Harbour Line between CSMT were suspended until further notice. This decision has been taken due to large amounts of water logging on the railway tracks. Instructions were given by the administration to travel only if necessary.
The train service, which had been running slowly since Tuesday morning, came to a standstill after 11:30 am after rains and waterlogging of railway tracks intensified. The Harbour Service was closed due to waterlogging of railway tracks, while the Kurla-CSMT locomotive on the Central Railway was closed. Due to the closure of the local trains, passengers had to walk to the nearest railway station. The heavy rains and the slog have caused immense hardship to train passengers.
Heavy rains have been continuing in Mumbai since Sunday night. Its impact was seen on the railway traffic. Initially, local trains ran with a delay of about half an hour since Tuesday morning, but due to waterlogging at many railway stations on the Central and Harbour lines. Local trains were delayed between Sion and Ghatkopar on Tuesday morning.
Local trains on the Central, Harbour and Western Railways were running with a delay. Passengers were hit by this delay on Tuesday morning.
However, as the rain intensified, the railway tracks got submerged under water which accumulated in the railway station areas, and the Central Railway train service was shut down.
