Mumbai, Konkan brace for heavy rains

Pedestrians wade through a water logged area during rains in Mumbai yesterday.

IANS/Mumbai

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that heavy to very heavy rains will hit Mumbai and coastal Konkan over the next 72 hours.

All agencies concerned with disaster management, relief and rescue operations have been put in a state of high alert and people have been warned against venturing outdoors unless absolutely essential.

IMD Mumbai director V K Rajeev said that entire Maharashtra is expected to get heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 12-72 hours.

“Heavy to very heavy rainfall will occur at many places in Konkan, central Maharashtra and Marathwada. Similarly, Mumbai will experience heavy to very heavy rains in the next 72 hours,” Rajeev said.

He explained that heavy rains implied 7-14 cm and very heavy rains meant 14-25 cm within a 24-hour rain cycle.

Incessant rains have lashed Mumbai, Konkan, western Maharashtra and Vidarbha since early yesterday.

Several parts of Mumbai have been waterlogged and flooded since yestersday morning, severely restricting traffic movement and delaying local trains on Central Railway and Western Railway by 20-30 minutes.

Roads in south-central Mumbai areas of Dadar, Wadala, Sion, Parel, Byculla, Govandi, Kurla, Malad, Jogeshwari, Santacruz, Dahisar, Bhandup and other suburbs were flooded at many places and traffic had to be diverted to alternative routes.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s disaster management cell, at 1 pm, the city received 4.17cm rain, eastern suburbs 4.32cm and western suburbs 3.06cm. Many private offices in the affected areas allowed their employees to leave early in view of the constant downpour and disruption in road and rail services. The situation was identical in adjoining Thane and Raigad districts with rains since Monday night severely disrupting road and rail communication with Mumbai.

Meanwhile, IMD officials have asked people to ignore any SMS warning of heavy floods in Mumbai, saying these are being circulated by rumour-mongers.

Meanwhile, some parts of Delhi received light rains yesterday. The Met office has forecast more rains today. “There is a possibility of light rains occurring in some parts of the city today,” an IMD official said.

Since the arrival of the monsoon on June 16, the city has recorded a total of 385.8 mm of rainfall – 75% above normal -  with the highest recorded on Saturday at 123mm.