The first day of rain in Mumbai witnessed 30 trees getting uprooted, while trains were running late on the Western line and on the Central Railway's Main and Harbour lines on Saturday.
The disaster management helpline said, “In the island city, 10 trees were uprooted due to gusty winds and rain. While seven trees fell down in the eastern suburbs, 13 trees were uprooted in the western suburbs.”
The disaster cell also registered five short circuits in the city and one in the western suburbs.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the train services on the three rail lines were operating without hitch.
However, local commuters contradicted the BMC claims. “Trains were running a half-an-hour late between Kandivali and Churchgate, with passengers overcrowding the platforms. I was waiting for a 12.45 p.m.-train at Kandivali, which arrived at 1.10 p.m.,” said Rajesh P., a commuter.
Another commuter said, “Fast trains from Kalyan to the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus were affected, with eight trains being delayed between Bhandup, Vidyavihar and Kurla at around 3.45 p.m. Harbour line services too were on the slower side.”
The Indian Meteorological Department recorded 3.5 mm of rain in Colaba while Santacruz registered 36.6 mm between 8 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. The BMC-released data pegged the rainfall registered in the city at 13 mm, eastern suburbs at 8 mm, and western suburbs at 7 mm between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
While the BMC claimed there were no instances of waterlogging in the city, since it has provided over 300 pumpsets for flushing out water in low-lying areas, a private agency, Watchdog Foundation, said that waterlogging was evident in the Andheri (east) areas close to Seven Hills Hospital. But, the photographs accompanying the release issued by the foundation revealed that the water was ankle deep, and BMC workers were on the job to mitigate the situation.
The writer is a freelance journalist
