Heavy rain lashes Mumbai and suburbs; more showers in next 24 hrs

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed officials to keep the disaster relief force teams ready. He also directed the concerned Guardian Secretaries to assess the situation in various districts and carry out necessary measures. 

<I>Image: People wade through a water-logged street following monsoon rains, in Mumbai, Tuesday, July 5, 2022. Photograph: PTI Photo/Kunal Patil</I>

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted moderate to heavy rain in Mumbai and its suburbs over the next 24 hours. Mumbai and its adjoining areas have been receiving heavy downpour on Tuesday morning.

Over the last 24 hours, till 8 am on Tuesday, Mumbai received an average of 95.81 mm of rainfall, while its western and eastern suburbs recorded 116.73 mm and 115.09 mm of rainfall, respectively, in the same period.

<I>People wade through a water-logged street following monsoon rains, in Mumbai, Tuesday, July 5, 2022. Photograph: PTI Photo/Kunal Patil</I>

The IMD has already issued a 'yellow alert' for Mumbai and Thane, predicting that over the next five days, the two districts will receive heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places. 

<I>Motorists drive through heavy rain at Bhandup in Mumbai. Photograph: Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times via Getty Images</I>

Waterlogging was reported in several low-lying parts of the city. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed officials to keep the disaster relief force teams ready. He also directed the concerned Guardian Secretaries to assess the situation in various districts and carry out necessary measures. 

For now, the local train services -- Mumbai's lifeline -- are still operational. The Central Railway mainline between CSMT and Panvel, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Kalyan/Karjat/Kasara routes were running with a 15-minute delay due to heavy rainfall - Central Railway.

<I>People walk in heavy rain holding their umbrellas at Bhandup in Mumbai, India. Photograph: Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times via Getty Images</I>

Central Railway's chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said that even though the CSMT-Kurla-Thane section has been receiving heavy rains, trains are still running on all corridors. Every day, over 75 lakh passengers from Mumbai and neighbouring districts take the local trains.

In the neighbouring Thane district, the IMD has also predicted heavy to very heavy rain for the next few days. The weather department issued an orange alert from July 5-8, in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.