Heavy rain in Mumbai cripples road, rail traffic

Mumbai suburbs received severe pounding from the monsoon rain on Monday, as it recorded more than 100 mm downpour in 24 hours that crippled road and rail traffic.

The three major water bodies in the city began to overflow as a result of the incessant rains. The Vihar lake inside Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park started to overflow in the morning, while the Tulsi lake –also located in the park- began spilling over on July 19. The Powai lake that provides water for industrial use has been overflowing since July 2.

Overnight rainfall affected Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts that abut the commercial capital.  The Vihar lake received 320 mm rainfall, followed by Tulsi (300 mm) and Bhandup Complex (260 mm).

Regional Meteorological Observatory in the city said rainfall was 111 mm in the 24-hour period up to 0830 hours, consistent with the average rains for the season.  Karjat in Raigad district recorded 290 mm of rains, while Roha reported 220 mm downpour.

Thane city and the neighbouring Kalyan township received rainfall of 201 mm, while the amount of downpour in Ulhasnagar was 190 mm, Murbad and Vikramgad areas (Palghar district) 130 mm. 

Floods cut off a dozen villages in the Mumbai metropolitan Region due to heavy rains and overflowing of Tansa, Ulhas and Bhatsa rivers.

Train services were disrupted in the Main line of Central Railways due to derailment of a local train near Kalyan station at 9.30 am. Service in the line resumed at 12.20 am. Mumbai Monorail also developed a technical snag when a rake stopped near the Bhakti Park area of Wadala.

Heavy rains also lashed Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts in Konkan region, causing floods in streams near Sawantwadi, Khed and Chiplun towns. Severe downpour was also recorded in Amboli ghat.

Lonavla ghats near Pune recorded 200 mm rains, while the downpour was 100 mm in Koyna valley.

The latest spell of rains could be attributed to the moisture from the circulation formed over Gujarat. A weak off-shore trough along the West Coast between Maharashtra Coast and Coastal Karnataka also intensified the rains over Mumbai, which would continue to receive moderate to heavy showers in the next 24 hours, according to Skymet Weather.