In the past 24 hours, Mumbai and its surrounding areas have been hit by relentless heavy rains, leading to widespread waterlogging and significant disruptions in suburban train services. Some areas in the city recorded over 300 mm of rainfall within just six hours, from 1 am to 7 am on Monday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and the Konkan belt. Vikhroli’s Veer Savarkar Marg Municipal School and MCMCR Powai reported the highest rainfall, recording over 315 mm in the last 24 hours. Visuals from across the city showed people wading through waist-deep waters and cars lined bumper to bumper on Mumbai roads. All government, private, and municipal schools and colleges have been shut across the city.
At Dombivli station, commuters waited for trains on submerged tracks. Waterlogging was also reported from Worli, Buntara Bhavan in Kurla East, King’s Circle area of Mumbai, Dadar, and Vidyavihar Railway Station. Over 30 lakh commuters use the suburban local train services in Mumbai and neighboring Thane, Palghar, and Raigad every day.
Also Read: Tragedy Strikes In Surat: Seven Dead After Residential Building Collapse
Train services between Kasara and Titwala stations in Thane district were suspended after soil covered the tracks between Atgaon and Thansit stations, disrupting rail traffic on the busy Kalyan-Kasara route. The tracks were declared unsafe around 6:30 am, causing further delays and cancellations. Several trains were diverted, rescheduled, or terminated due to waterlogging between Kalyan and Kasara stations of the Mumbai division.
Officials have said that if the rain stops for over two hours, the waterlogging will subside. However, the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai throughout the day. Due to heavy rainfall and flash floods on the Vasind-Khardi section between 3 am and 6 am, the track embankment got damaged, further complicating travel.
Several teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Thane, Vasai (Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Ghatkopar, Kurla, and Sindhudurg. The NDRF rescued 49 people from a water-logged resort in Thane and 16 villagers in Palghar, using boats and life jackets to evacuate those stranded due to flooding.
