Rain throws life in Mumbai out of gear

The normal life of Mumbai and its suburbs was thrown out of gear as heavy continued to pound the coastal Konkan belt and other parts of Maharashtra on Monday.

In the last three to four days, over 500 mm rainfall has been recorded in some of the places in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

In the MMR – that comprises of Mumbai besides parts of the neighbouring districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad – there was waterlogging at several places choking up the road traffic and suburban railway traffic of the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR).

Several schools voluntarily closed on Monday even as later in the day, the Maharashtra Government declared a holiday in schools and colleges of the MMR.

Slim attendance was reported in government, semi-government and private offices besides shops and establishments.

A report from the Vasai-Virar region of the Palghar district said that more than a 100 to 150 persons were stranded in the salt pan areas and low-lying villages. Rescue teams are on way to help out the local residents. Besides, water from creeks is flowing over the Suncity Road, one of the major roads in the urban conglomeration of Vasai-Virar.

The weathermen has forecast heavy to very heavy rains for Mumbai and its suburbs, the coastal Konkan-Goa belt and Marathwada region.

The death toll in the MMR because of rains – since Friday night - has shot up to six - with a man dying in Thane city after falling in a well.

Meanwhile, a report from Ratnagiri district said that around a dozen tourists trapped near a waterfall were rescued by local mountaineers and hikers.

The suburban trains along the Central line’s Main and Harbour network and Western line were delayed by 15 to 30 minutes.

On WR, there was flooding of tracks at Nalasopara, while in CR, there similar reports of Thane, Kalva and other places. A retaining wall at the Sandhurst Road collapsed. The debris are being removed.

In Mumbai, waterlogging was reported from Sion, Dadar, Hindmata, Kurla, Andheri and Jogeshwari areas were reported.

Reports from the Regional Meteorological Centre of the IMD and BrihanMunbai Municipal Corporation said that the lakes and catchment areas of Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Bhatsa, Tulsi and Vihar received good rainfall.

The MMR forest areas of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnala Bird Sanctuary, Yeoor Hills received heavy rainfall and small rivers and streams were overflowing.

The Surya, Vaitarna and Ulhas rivers were overflowing in some of the stretches.

The Disaster Management Unit of the Maharashtra Government, the municipal corporations and councils of MMR are maintaining alert. Teams of NDRF have been kept on standby mode.