Mumbai witnessed heavy rainfall overnight on Tuesday, leading to waterlogging in several low-lying parts of the city as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an Orange Alert for Mumbai and neighbouring districts.
The warning, issued early Wednesday morning, predicted moderate to intense spells of rain over Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Palghar and Sindhudurg for a short-duration nowcast period, advising residents to remain cautious.
For the broader day-long forecast, Mumbai, its suburbs and Palghar were placed under a Red Alert, while Thane was under an Orange Alert and Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg under a Yellow Alert.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the nowcast warning remained valid till 10 am as intermittent heavy showers continued across the city and suburbs, with cloudy skies and chances of lightning and thunder.
Despite the intense rainfall, suburban train services continued to operate normally. Western Railway said key routes, including the Harbour Line and the Churchgate-Dahanu corridor, were running without disruption during the morning rush hours.
However, persistent showers through the night caused flooding in several areas of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The BMC shut the Andheri subway for vehicular movement after it was submerged due to severe waterlogging.
According to BMC rainfall figures recorded between 8 am and 11 pm on June 23, Mumbai received an average rainfall of 56 mm. The eastern suburbs recorded 23 mm, while the western suburbs received 33 mm.
Between 10 pm and 11 pm alone, several areas in the western suburbs witnessed heavy showers. Charkop Sector 1 Municipal School in Kandivali recorded 32 mm rainfall, MHB Municipal School in Malad received 28 mm, Gajdharbandh Storm Water Pumping Station recorded 26 mm, Banana Leaf and Juhu Dispensary received 22 mm each, and Nariyalwadi School in Santacruz recorded 21 mm.
The civic body said all subways, except the flooded Andheri underpass, remained operational and railway services across the city continued normally.
A BMC official, Rhitik, said authorities had not yet found a temporary fix for the severe waterlogging at the Andheri subway.
"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 ANI.
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 said.
Residents also raised concerns over drainage problems. One local said, "All manholes that should drain water are blocked. We are struggling to even reach colleges due to flooding."
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as heavy rainfall is expected to persist along the west coast.
(With inputs from ANI)
