Day 4: Mumbai on the edge and in a mess

Mumbai remained on the edge for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday as heavy rain continued to pound the metropolis.

The Indian Navy and the National Disaster response Force (NDRF) have been kept on standby for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The Vasai-Virar belt in Palghar district, nearly 50 to 60 km from downtown Mumbai, was the worst affected with several localities inundated and flood waters entering first-floor flats.

In a span of 36 hours, areas of MMR received 200 to 250 mm rainfall. In the past 21 days, the financial capital has received over 60% of its average seasonal rain.

Central Railway and Western Railway services were severely affected because of waterlogging at several places. There was an average delay of more than 30 minutes on Central, Western and Harbour lines.

Water flowed over tracks at Nalasopara, leading to suspension of services between Vasai and Virar. Tracks were flooded at Sion, Kurla and Matunga also.

Several inbound or outbound long-distance trains were either cancelled, terminated en route or diverted on the Mumbai-Gujarat and Mumbai-New Delhi sectors, affecting trains like Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express and Duronto Express.

Road traffic was in complete mess. The Eastern Express Highway, Western Express Highway and Ghodbunder Road were jammed.

Flight overshoots runway

Flights were delayed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, one of the busiest in the Asian region. An Air India Express flight with 89 people on board had a narrow escape as it overshot the runway while landing amid heavy rain.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was in Nagpur where the monsoon session of state legislature was under way, reviewed the situation.

Education Minister Vinod Tawde advised schools and colleges to monitor rainfall and declare a holiday if necessary for the second consecutive day.