Mumbai rains: Prime areas like Worli, Goregaon witness waterlogging after heavy showers; traffic and trains slow down
Several areas in Mumbai recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall over the last 24 hours, according to the BMC.
HEAVY showers inundated low-lying areas in Mumbai as the city woke to another rain-soaked morning on Thursday. The downpour brought road and rail traffic to a halt in several areals.
Several areas logged more than 200 mm of rainfall over the last 24 hours, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
As the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted more rainfall through the day, the chances of waterlogging or traffic easing are low.
Heavy rain since early Thursday morning led to waterlogging in prime areas such as Dadar, Parel, Hindmata, Charkop, Worli, Goregaon and Andheri, causing inconvenience to commuters and slowing vehicular traffic.
Local train movement was also affected due to water accumulation, though tracks were not submerged. Rail commuters said several local train services were running 10 to 15 minutes behind schedule, leading to overcrowding during the morning rush hour.
A Central Railway spokesperson said that despite receiving more than 180 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, there was no major waterlogging on its network and local train services on all four corridors were operating normally, even as commuters complained of delays.
The Western Railway also informed on X that suburban services on its network were running normally, while commuters claimed some trains were running behind schedule.
Mumbai manhole death
A man died after being swept into an open manhole amid heavy rains in Mumbai. The incident occurred in the Chandivali area in the eastern suburbs, where waterlogging had apparently concealed the uncovered manhole.
According to BMC officials, three contractual workers had removed the manhole cover to carry out maintenance work when the man, who was allegedly talking on his mobile phone, accidentally fell into the opening.
Footage from a CCTV camera installed on Khairani Road showed the man, later identified as Aslam Easaf Shaikh, walking past a tempo and suddenly disappearing. It also showed workers at the spot peering into the open manhole.
Officials said the workers lowered a ladder into the manhole to search for him, but found only his umbrella and slippers.
Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar called the death of a man in a manhole in Mumbai a serious matter and said it amounted to "culpable homicide".
He asked the state government to place a detailed statement in the House on the incident before the day's proceedings concluded.
IMD forecasts heavy rains
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai and its suburbs, with the possibility of extremely heavy showers towards Thursday night and early Friday morning. Occasional gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph are also likely.
The BMC said a high tide of 4.27 metres is expected at 1.45 PM on Thursday, while the next high tide of 3.71 metres is due at 1.31 AM on Friday. A low tide of 1.82 metres is expected at 7.49 PM on Thursday.
As per BMC, the eastern suburbs received the highest average rainfall of 189 mm in the 24 hours ending at 8 AM on Thursday, followed by 172 mm in the island city and 165 mm in the western suburbs.
Among the highest rainfall readings, Santacruz SWM Workshop and the S Ward Office in Bhandup recorded 238.8 mm each, followed by Paspoli Municipal School in Powai (234.6 mm), Tagore Nagar Municipal School in Vikhroli (233.2 mm), Mithagar Municipal School in Mulund (226 mm), Andheri Fire Station (225.4 mm), F South Ward Office at Parel (222 mm) and G South Ward Office at Prabhadevi (220.4 mm).
