Deluge paralyses Mumbai, 35 die due to rains in Maharashtra

Mumbai: At least 27 Mumbaikars, including eight children, were killed as torrential rains left several areas of the country’s commercial capital waterlogged, throwing rail, air and road traffic out of gear on Tuesday. In the whole of Maharashtra, 35 people were killed and 85 injured due to incessant rains.

Mumbai received the heaviest rain over a 24-hour period since the 2005 deluge as the authorities declared Tuesday as a public holiday in the maximum city. The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rains on Wednesday even as the city was pounded by the highest 24-hour rainfall for July in a decade.

Private weather agency Skymet said Mumbai is at “serious risk of flooding” between July 3 and 5. “Close to 200 mm or more rain per day is likely during this period, which could hamper normal life,” it said.

At least 21 people, including eight children, were killed and 78 injured in a wall collapse in suburban area of Malad in Mumbai. Amid dramatic scenes, efforts by rescue workers to get a 15-year-old girl out of the debris proved futile as she died during the operation.

A security guard also died in a similar incident in Mulund, while three people were killed after a wall collapsed in Kalyan in Thane district. One person was electrocuted in Vile Parle. Two persons died in Malad after they were locked up in a car flooded with rainwater.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) additional commissioner Ashwini Joshi said an inquiry will be held into the Malad wall collapse and any official found guilty will be punished. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also made a similar announcement in the state legislature, announcing a high-level probe into the wall collapse.

In Pune, six labourers were killed and three injured after a wall collapsed in Ambegaon area late Monday night. In Buldhana district, a 52-year-old woman was killed on the spot by a bolt of lightning.

As rains continued to lash Mumbai, waterlogging was reported at Airport Colony, Vakola Junction, Postal colony, near Chunabhatti Railway station and Vakola road, a BMC official said. Over 1,000 people were evacuated from Kranti Nagar, Kurla, to prevent any untoward incidents due to an overflowing Mithi river, he said.

Incessant rain resulted in delayed and suspended train services, waterlogged roads, and impacted flight services as a plane overshot the runway at the Mumbai international airport.

During the last 24 hours, Mumbai recorded an average rainfall of 163 mm with the highest in eastern suburbs (329 mm) followed by western suburbs (309 mm) as per the BMC.

“Adding to the rain woes, Mumbai witnessed a 4.92-metre high tide at 11.30 am which hampered efforts to pump-out water on the Central Line, leading to waterlogging,” said a BMC official.

The civic body claimed that six pumping units have pumped out more than 14,000 million litres of water and discharged it into the sea, which is more than the combined capacity of Tulsi and Vihar lake in Mumbai.

“Since the rainfall intensity reduced in the morning, the water receded by noon. Around 1,400 dewatering pumps have been set up at flood-prone spots. We are prepared for the monsoon,” said a BMC official.

Operations at Central Railways (CR) were suspended which left thousands stranded in the trains during the time and were rescued by CR and RPF jawans. The Western Line was also impacted as 180 suburban services and 11 express trains were cancelled.

The BMC’s disaster management cell received over 3,593 complaints, including 116 related of tree and branch falling, apart from waterlogging and wall collapse issues. Mr Fadnavis was seen monitoring the situation at the disaster management control room of BMC along with civic officials.

The meteorological department has warned of “extremely heavy” rainfall in adjoining areas of Thane and Palghar on July 4 and 5.