As Mumbai grapples with severe waterlogging following relentless heavy rains, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole has sharply criticized the state government, attributing the city's woes to what he calls a corrupt and undemocratic administration.
Addressing the media, Patole remarked, "The mindset of the Maharashtra government was of corruption, of ending the democratic system. The people of Mumbai are suffering the consequences of that today. This is the failure of the government. Now you (Maharashtra CM) will go to the spot and do a photo session, what is the benefit of this?"
In the past 24 hours, Mumbai has recorded over 300 mm of rainfall, leading to widespread disruption. Areas such as Vikhroli's Veer Savarkar Marg Municipal School and MCMCR Powai reported the highest rainfall, with over 315 mm recorded. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and the Konkan belt.
The heavy downpour has caused significant waterlogging across the city, with visuals showing people wading through waist-deep water and vehicles stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. All government, private, and municipal schools and colleges have been shut as a precautionary measure.
Public transportation has also been severely affected. At Dombivli station, commuters were stranded on submerged tracks, while waterlogging was reported in areas such as Worli, Buntara Bhavan in Kurla East, King's Circle, Dadar, and Vidyavihar Railway Station. Over 30 lakh commuters rely on Mumbai's suburban local train services daily, highlighting the impact of these disruptions.
Train services between Kasara and Titwala stations in Thane district were suspended due to soil covering the tracks between Atgaon and Thansit stations, rendering the tracks unsafe. Several trains were diverted, rescheduled, or terminated, causing further inconvenience to passengers.
Officials have indicated that the waterlogging will subside if the rain stops for over two hours. However, the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall throughout the day. The Vasind-Khardi section between 3 am and 6 am experienced flash floods, damaging the track embankment and exacerbating travel issues.
In response to the crisis, several teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in affected areas, including Thane, Vasai (Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Ghatkopar, Kurla, and Sindhudurg. The NDRF has successfully rescued 49 people from a water-logged resort in Thane and 16 villagers in Palghar, using boats and life jackets.
