IMD issues red alert for Mumbai, advises people to plan travel accordingly

Mumbai, July 08: The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Mumbai and adjoining areas for the next 24 hours and also requested people to plan their travel accordingly.

"Red alert in Mumbai from 1 pm today till next 24 hours. We request Mumbaikars to plan their travel and schedules likewise," the IMD said in a statement.

"In the last 3-4 days, central Maharashtra and Konkan regions received good rainfall due to favourable conditions of monsoon. Conditions are expected to remain the same for the next 4-5 days," news agency ANI quoted IMD's Jayant Sarkar as saying.

"Fairly widespread rainfall and thunderstorm/lightning with isolated heavy rainfall are very likely over Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat state, Kerala and Mahe, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Telangana and Karnataka during the next 5 days," IMD further said.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Thursday issued an order prohibiting people from visiting the city beaches on the days for which the IMD has given an 'orange' or 'red' alert warning of heavy rainfall.

The order has been issued in the wake of the heavy rainfall prediction and in order to prevent incidents of drowning incidents.

Rains continued to lash the city for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, delaying local train services on the Central Railway route following a wall collapse on a track.