Mumbai Rain Update: City remains on red alert after heavy showers; wettest July ever, schools, colleges shut

The India Meteorological Department predicts heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to declare a holiday for schools and colleges for safety reasons. The Central Railway has assured that trains are running despite the conditions.

Hours after the India Meteorological Department put Mumbai on red alert, the city continued to endure relentless heavy rainfall. The red alert specifically warns of heavy to very heavy rainfall in some areas and extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places, covering both Mumbai city and its suburban regions. The unprecedented rainfall led to Mumbai experiencing its wettest July ever on record. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rainfall for the month reached an extraordinary 1557.8 mm, surpassing the previous record set in 2020, when 1502 mm was recorded at the IMD's Santacruz observatory, representing Mumbai's suburbs.

In a statement, the IMD revealed that between July 1 and the morning of July 26, 2023, the Santacruz observatory had already recorded 1,433 mm of rainfall. By the evening of July 26, 2023, at 8:30 pm, this record for the wettest July was broken, with the Santacruz observatory reaching a total rainfall of 1557.8 mm.

Despite the challenging conditions, the Central Railway confirmed that trains on its routes were still operational on Thursday morning.

Considering the safety implications, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) took decisive action, declaring a holiday for all government and private preschools, primary and secondary schools, and junior colleges in the city on Thursday. The BMC's priority is ensuring the safety of students, and the decision was conveyed through a circular issued by the BMC Education Officer (Primary), Rajesh Kankal.

In light of the circumstances, authorities strongly advised people to venture outside only if it was necessary and urgent.

In light of the heavy rainfall situation, the University of Mumbai made the decision to cancel all scheduled examinations for Thursday across the city. The primary concern was safeguarding the well-being of students and staff, and the university said it will announce new exam dates at a later time.