Heavy showers pummelled north-western Maharashtra on Friday, with relentless rain throwing life off-kilter in the State’s capital.
The downpour, which has continued without respite since Thursday, threw the city’s road and rail transport into total disarray, causing local and long-distance trains to be delayed by several minutes.
Scores of homes were inundated, while waterlogging in several areas of the city, including Dadar, Parel, Sion and Kandivali, resulted in massive traffic snarls, badly affecting office-goers.
Distraught commuters in local trains were compelled to endure delays of between 30 and 45 minutes, with the Central, Harbour and Western lines being clogged with water at several points.
Adjoining Thane district, in particular, bore the brunt of the downpour with railway tracks being flooded at Nalla Sopara, Mumbra, Thane and other places, leading to train delays and suspensions on all three lines.
Schoolchildren marooned
The Hindmata area in Dadar was completely waterlogged, while marooning close to 250 children at a school in suburban Virar.
Regional Meteorological Department officials said that Mumbai city recorded 36.5 mm of rain, the suburbs a whopping 59.2 mm till 2.30 p.m. They forecast frequent spells of rain or showers over the next two days.
Train services on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-New Delhi sectors were disrupted.
According to a Western Railway release, a bout of intense rainfall at Valsad in Gujarat resulted in cancellation of 10 trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line.
Trains which have been cancelled included Surat-Mumbai Central-Flying Ranee Express, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Karnavati Express, and Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Double Decker Express. Half-a-dozen trains have also been short-terminated, the release said.
BMC warning
Rains were expected to continue in Mumbai, coastal Konkan, Vidarbha and other parts of the State in the next 48 hours.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has issued a warning for citizens to step out of their homes if only absolutely necessary while also cautioning people against venturing into the sea.
With only a month into the monsoon, Mumbai city has already received nearly 55 per cent and the suburbs have averaged 47 per cent of the annual rainfall quota.
