Mumbai Rains: Orange Alert Issued; Traffic Snarls, Short Circuits Reported

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced on Saturday, based on the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecast, the weather forecast for Mumbai has been upgraded to an 'orange alert'. This alert signifies the potential for heavy rainfall in the city within the next 24 hours.

In light of the upgraded forecast, the BMC has advised residents and authorities to exercise vigilance and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety amidst the anticipated weather conditions.

Today, Mumbai experienced rainfall in several areas following a significant delay in the arrival of the monsoon. The IMD has reported that the monsoon has progressed up to Alibag in Maharashtra's Raigad district and is expected to further advance and reach Mumbai within the next 48 hours.

Meanwhile, heavy rains in several parts of Mumbai on Saturday led to the deaths of two persons who were washed away in a drain as well as traffic snarls, tree fall incidents and short circuits, civic and police officials said.

The deaths took place in Govandi in the afternoon and the bodies were fished out by fire brigade and police personnel later, an official said.

According to officials, Chembur received 80.04 millimetres of rain through the day, while the figure was 79.76 mm for Vikhroli, 61.98 for Sion, 61.68 for Ghatkopar and 61.25 for Matunga.

In a statement issued in the evening, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said 11 trees have fallen due to the rains, while seven incidents of short circuit have been reported till 8pm.

It said the eastern suburbs of the metropolis received 69.86 mm rain, while it was 73.57 mm for the western suburbs.

Police said traffic was diverted to SV Road after Andheri subway got flooded, while movement of vehicles was slow on BD Road, in the vicinity of Mahalaxmi Temple and areas like Asalpha, Sakinaka junction, and Gaffar Khan Road Near Worli Sealink.

Similar conditions were witnessed in Kurla, Santacruz and SV road, while waterlogging was reported from Dadar TT, Sion Road, Tilak Nagar and Dahisar subway.

Several netizens took to Twitter to ask traffic police for updates, some of them mentioning about traffic snarls near Shreyas cinema in Ghatkopar, on Link Road from Bangur Nagar in Goregaon to Mith Chowki in Malad as well as Pantnagar.