Mumbai rains highlights: IMD issues orange alert; BMC to probe death of woman who fell in drain; 16 flights diverted

Severe storms and torrential rainfall have claimed the lives of at least four people in Mumbai, and its neighbouring areas. The intense weather has led to the closure of schools and caused major disruptions to train services.

Mumbai Police have also registered an accidental death report (ADR) and launched a probe. Three people died due to lightning strikes in separate incidents on Wednesday in neighbouring Thane district.

Calling the Eknath Shinde-led MahaYuti government inefficient, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray accused the current dispensation for failing to provide relief mechanisms for citizens during Wednesday’s storms and heavy rains. He criticised the government for the flooding in Mumbai, Thane, and Pune.

Read the full story below

Mumbai rains: At least four dead amid heavy rains, 16 flights diverted; city on ‘orange’ alert

At least 16 aircraft were diverted from Mumbai airport to Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Goa, and Udaipur last evening between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

“A 22-year-old woman on an outing with her family members drowned in a waterfall in Maharashtra’s Raigad district during heavy rains,” a police official said on Thursday (September 26, 2024).

Swapnali Kshirsagar lost her life in the Zenith waterfall in the Khopoli area, about 70 km from Mumbai, on Wednesday (September 25, 2024).

The woman and her kin, residents of Khopoli, had gone to the waterfall for a picnic. While they were in the plunge pool at the base of the waterfall, the flow of water suddenly increased due to heavy downpours.

“Kshirsagar lost her balance and got swept away. Four of her family members managed to save themselves by holding one another’s hands,” the police official said.

“Police later recovered her body from near a bridge downstream,” the official added.

- PTI

​

Launching a scathing attack against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over waterlogging in various parts of the state, Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray said on Thursday that the situation in Mumbai, Thane, Pune and many other places in the state was terrible due to rain yesterday and that just half an hour of rain has exposed him.

“Yesterday, the Chief Minister gave out a statement that he would make Mumbai pothole-free, but just half an hour of rain exposed him. Various places received heavy rains, and some witnessed minimal, and it got waterlogged. One person died. Nobody cares about Mumbai,” said Mr. Thackeray.

“The situation in Mumbai, Pune, Thane was terrible. A lot of citizens yesterday were stuck in traffic. The situation at metro stations was bad. One of the metro stations started leaking. Nobody from the regime was there on the street to answer. Be it BMC, Mumbai Police, or any other agency, none took the responsibility and addressed the public,” he added.

- ANI

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the monsoon in Maharashtra is expected to withdraw by October 5 this year.Several places in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai and Pune, were left waterlogged after torrential rains on Wednesday night.

Speaking to ANI regarding the monsoon in the state, Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai Scientist Sunil Kamble said that Mumbai received almost 2900 millimetres of rainfall during this monsoon season, which is 600 mm above the normal average.

“In 3-4 months’ monsoon, Mumbai should record 2300 mm rain, but, as of now, it has recorded 2900 mm rains, almost 600 mm above normal,” Kamble said.

“In the next 5-6 monsoon will reduce and there are chances that monsoon will withdraw by October 5 but sometimes the chances increase, so the withdrawal date extends to October 10,” he added.

-ANI

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday criticised the Eknath Shinde-led MahaYuti government for the flooding in Mumbai, Thane, and Pune following heavy rains the previous day. 

He said that the Western Express Highway in Mumbai, a key route in the western suburbs, was submerged on Wednesday.

“Such flooding on this highway had only been reported after the massive July 26 rains in 2005,” he said. Mr Thackeray accused the government of failing to provide relief mechanisms for citizens during such emergencies.

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should inaugurate the new phase of Pune Metro online as he has inaugurated the “same” project five times in the past.

“It is very unfortunate that we have missed PM Modi’s visit. It is Maharashtra’s culture to welcome a guest. I want to bring it to the PMO’s notice that it would be the sixth time the same Pune Metro project would have been inaugurated,” said the MP from Baramati in Pune district. 

“So I request the PM to inaugurate Pune Metro online...it is the same project he had inaugurated five times in the past...it will help the people of the Pune city and the inauguration must not wait for the next visit of the PM,” Ms. Sule added.

PM Modi’s visit to Pune on Thursday was cancelled owing to heavy rains. - PTI

In a release issued on Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said a three-member committee, headed by deputy municipal commissioner (zone 3) Devidas Kshirsagar, will submit its report on the death of a 45-year-old woman who fell in a storm water drain. The incident occurred at 9.20 p.m. on Wednesday near gate no. 8 of MIDC, Andheri East, police earlier said.

Mumbai fire brigade chief Ravindra Ambulgekar and chief engineer (vigilance) Avinash Tambewagh are the other two members of the committee. - PTI

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has ordered a high-level inquiry into the death of a woman who drowned in an open drain in Mumbai’s Andheri region on Wednesday and asked to submit a report within three days.

A committee consisting of Deputy Commissioner of Zone 3, Devidas Kshirsagar, Chief Fire Officer Ravindra Ambulgekar and Chief Engineer (Quality) Avinash Tambewagh, has been established to probe the case.

- Snehal Mutha

At least four people have been killed in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) amid the heavy downpour that lasted five hours on Wednesday (September 25, 2024). India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted on Thursday that Mumbai and other areas in MMR to receive “heavy to very heavy rainfall”.

At present, 18 NDRF teams and six SDRF teams have been deployed across Maharashtra to help with any contingencies. - Vinaya Deshpande

At least 16 aircrafts were diverted from Mumbai airport to Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Goa, Udaipur last evening between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., due to heavy rainfall.

- Vinaya Deshpande

A 45-year-old woman drowned in a drain overflowing due to heavy rains in suburban Andheri on Wednesday, police said. The incident occurred at around 9.20 p.m. near gate no. 8 of MIDC, Andheri East, they said. The victim was identified as Vimal Anil Gaikwad.

Local police and the fire brigade were alerted and they took the woman to the Cooper Hospital where she was declared brought dead, they said.

The extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to announce a holiday for all schools and colleges on Thursday (September 26, 2024).

Schools and colleges in Thane, Palghar, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad were also closed on Thursday after heavy rains.

“Mumbaikars, if not required, avoid stepping out of home,” the BMC posted on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Pune has been cancelled due to the heavy rain situation in the city. 

Mr. Modi was scheduled to flag off a Metro train in Pune on Thursday (September 26, 2024), alongside launching several development projects valued at over ₹22,600 crore. 

The Mithi River along with other water bodies and drains had swelled after extremely heavy rains. 

On Wednesday night, the Mithi river rose to its maximum level of 3.90 metres. On Thursday morning, it was flowing at 1.5 metres, the BMC said. 

In the 24 hour-period ending at 8 a.m. on Thursday, the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded 117.18 mm, 170.58 mm and 108.75 mm of rainfall, respectively.

Between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs received 87.79 mm, 167.48 mm, and 95.57 mm downpours, respectively.

Mankhurd and Powai areas in eastern suburbs recorded more than 275 mm of rain during the period, as per BMC data. 

PTI

After heavy rains on Wednesday, some roads, including in the Sonapur area of Bhandup, virtually turned into rivers of fast-moving water as several areas received more than 100 mm of rain in five hours of the evening.

The Ghatkopar-Andheri Road, Khairani Road, LBS Marg and a few other roads were flooded with chest-deep water at some locations.

Many people complained their belongings were damaged as water had entered their homes.

As local trains stopped on Wednesday between Kurla and Thane stations on the Central line, thousands of commuters were stranded at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and other stations, while there were traffic jams at various places. 

PTI

Vehicular and rail traffic in Mumbai resumed on Thursday, a day after heavy rains battered the city, inundating low-lying areas, halting local trains in their tracks and forcing the diversion of at least 14 incoming flights. 

Rains stopped in most parts of the city on Thursday morning though skies were overcast. 

Local trains, considered the lifeline of Mumbai, were running normally though some services were slightly delayed, as per officials. 

Buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking also hit the roads since early morning. 

PTI

The monsoon has covered the entire country and the vagaries of weather have always been a puzzle to the layman. While updates from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) are still relied upon by most citizens, the trend is gradually shifting towards independent weather enthusiasts who provide timely updates on social media.

For most Mumbai residents, the go-to accounts on X are ‘Mumbai Nowcast’ by Shivam Khandelwal and ‘Mumbai Rains’ by Rushikesh Agre. For almost half a decade, these two weather-watchers in their 20s, have been keeping Mumbaikars informed “on the go” with timely updates. 

Mr. Khandelwal, 27, says he has been curious about rains since childhood, “The area where we resided earlier was prone to waterlogging. As I was growing up, I would observe clouds and predict rains. With the advent of Internet and other technologies, about seven years ago, I started studying weather maps posted by the IMD.” 

Mr. Khandelwal explained: “There is a very thin line between red alerts and sunshine. It has to do with the vortex. Providing regular ‘nowcasts’ will help resolve this.” The IMD had revised the alert to yellow for July 17, he added.

“My predictions are 90% accurate. In the last two to three years, the monsoon has become more unpredictable,” said Mr. Khandelwal, who has chosen real estate as his career path. His other pastimes are singing and playing piano. On the other hand, Mr. Agre is a final-year law student. 

​

New-age weathermen keep citizens updated on social media

Independent weather enthusiasts in India, like Mumbai Nowcast and Mumbai Rains, provide timely updates on social media.

Private forecasters have issued a red alert for Mumbai and Thane on September 26. Mumbai to witness “heavy to very heavy rain” during the second half of the day. 

Mumbai experienced high tides on Thursday morning, with the high tide reaching 3.14 meters at 7:32 a.m.

The weather forecast indicates thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and heavy to very heavy rainfall with gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph very likely in the Mumbai.

The Central Railways said that the local train services were restored in Andheri station on Thursday morning as the water has receded following a night of heavy downpour across Maharashtra’s Mumbai resulting in severe waterlogging. 

In a statement issued by the Central Railways, it said, “All local trains are running normally. On the main line, 3-4 minutes behind schedule because of rescheduled mail express movements and few cautions, Rest is all normal. 

“The Central Railways earlier said that harbour line local trains resumed after the water receded between Govandi and Mankhurd. “Trains are running with caution and a restricted speed of 25 kmph. Services resumed at 11:23 p.m.,” it added. 

The Western Railway suburban services were also restored on Thursday despite the heavy rains as the waters have receded at several stations. 

​