Mumbai rain: Weather Department sounds ‘red alert’ for more heavy showers in the next 48 hours

Heavy showers over the past 24 hours brought Mumbai to a near standstill. The regional meteorological centre has sounded a “red alert” and forecast more rain for the next 48 hours in Mumbai, which received more than 200 mm of rain on Tuesday, according to NDTV.

Weather officials believe this is the heaviest rainfall Mumbai has received since the devastating floods in July 2005.

The downpour led to water-logging in several places, slowed traffic on the roads and disrupted local train services. Lower Parel, Elphistone, Dadar, Andheri, Sion, King’s Circle, Kurla, Ghatkopar and Byculla are all underwater, among several other areas. Schools and colleges have been asked to stay shut on Wednesday.

The Maharashtra government had directed all offices to let employees leave early because of the heavy rain. Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force stationed in Mumbai are on duty, in addition to the two other teams brought in from Pune.

The BMC emergency helpline number is 1916. For traffic emergencies, call the police at 100.

Here are updates from the city:

10.55 pm: Traffic has cleared along the Eastern Freeway from South Mumbai towards Navi Mumbai.

10.35 pm: The Mumbai Police say traffic has cleared on the Western Highway from the airport till Dahisar.

10.30 pm: In the past 48 hours, Dadar has received the most amount of rainfall at 458 mm, followed by Santa Cruz and Andheri at 408 mm, Bandra at 390 mm and Mulund at 334 mm.

10 pm: The next high tide is expected at 6 am tomorrow.

9.59 pm: The cargo hold at the Mumbai airport is flooded.

9.58 pm: Here is a list of relief centres for people stranded out in the rain.

9.56 pm: Passengers have set up camp at the Churchgate Station as train services remain partially affected and the incessant rain continues.

9.55 pm: Tracks at the Mulund Station are completely under water.

9.25 pm: Ten flights were cancelled from the Mumbai airport on Tuesday. Seven others were diverted, ANI reported. At least 23 flights were asked to delay landing.

9.18 pm: The Mumbai Police said traffic from D’Mello Road in Colaba towards the Eastern Freeway had started moving. Meanwhile, a tube boat was used for rescue operations in Mumbai’s Dadar area, which is facing massive water-logging.

8.35 pm: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said 200 trees had fallen and 70 cases of short circuits were reported. The civic body cancelled the leaves of all its employees and asked them to return to work immediately.

8.00 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered toll stations to suspend charges at all entry points to Mumbai as well as at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link till normalcy is restored.

7.21 pm: The Mumbai Police said water-logging near Bandra had been cleared, and traffic has started moving on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

7.19 pm: Western Railway said the suburban services between Andheri to Virar and Dahanu Road are restored and trains are running every 10 minutes. However, the rail services between Churchgate and Andheri are still suspended due to water logging on tracks.

7.17 pm: Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “The NDRF teams have already reached Mumbai for rescue and relief operations,” Singh said on Twitter.

7.00 pm: Some hotels are offering free stay at their premises.

6.39 pm: All city schools will remain shut tomorrow, said Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde.

5.58 pm: “I urge the people of Mumbai and surrounding areas to stay safe and take all essential precautions in the wake of the heavy rain,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.

5.42 pm: The Navy has kept flood rescue teams and two diving teams on standby at several locations across the city, a spokesperson tweeted. “A SeaKing 42 is ready for day/night search rescue. Medical teams and divers are ready for immediate deployment.”

Bollywood actor and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt shared a video of some youngsters playing a ball game on a flooded street.

5.39 pm: High tide has hit Mumbai. The city police had warned people to stay away from waterfronts. The BMC has deployed boats to rescue the stranded.

5.29 pm: All gurudwaras in the city are open for langar and shelter for people stuck in any part of Mumbai.

5.27 pm: Operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport resume.

5.20 pm: The people of Mumbai are tweeting with #RainHosts to offer or look for shelter for those stranded in specific waterlogged areas.

5.06 pm: The city received more than 65 mm of rainfall in 3 hours, the Met Department said, nearly nine times more than usual.

5 pm: The civic body expects the city to return to normalcy by 10 pm, despite the heavy rainfall warning for the next three days.

4.46 pm: Traffic has been closed on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link because of water-logging at Worli end.

4.44 pm: The India Meteorological Department released this satellite image at 3 pm. More rain on the way.

4.24 pm: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is monitoring the situation from the disaster control room.

4.38 pm: Metro services have also taken a hit, with larger crowds than usual opting for it given the incessant rain.

4.35 pm: Operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport have been temporarily suspended because of low visibility.

4.32 pm: Local train stations were completely waterlogged before services were suspended.

4.20 pm: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had requested people to “follow traffic advisories”. “You can also tweet to or call the Mumbai Police,” he said. “The police will come to your rescue. I appeal to people to step out of their homes only if necessary.”

3.46 pm: The Regional Meteorological Centre has predicted three more days of heavy rain.

3.45 pm: High tide is expected at 4.20 pm. This will affect Ganesha Chathurthi festivities as hundreds of people were expecting to immerse their idols this evening.

3.40 pm: More local train services have been suspended.

3.32 pm: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is at the State Disaster Management Control room.

3.30 pm: The Bandra-Worli Sea Link has been closed for traffic towards south Mumbai. The police have advised commuters to plan their travel accordingly.

3.28 pm: Five NDRF teams have been sent to the city.

3.15 pm: The Maharashtra government has asked all offices to allow employees to leave early because of the downpour and the IMD warning.

3.08 pm: Several train services have been suspended. More updates from Western Railway are available here.

2 pm: Four people were injured after an iron and frame for posters crashed down on Vitthalbhai Patel Road in Girgaon. They have been moved to Saifee Hospital.

12.50 pm: Yuva Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son, has asked people to leave their homes only if it is absolutely necessary.

12.30 pm: Some Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation schools have let students leave early in the day while BMC schools with afternoon and night classes will remain shut, DNA reported.

12.25 pm: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has reported three incidents of wall collapse and 16 incidents of short-circuiting over the past 24 hours.

12 pm: The derailment of the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express has contributed to delay along the central and harbour lines.

11.30 am: Mumbai Police issues a traffic advisory – there are bottlenecks at the Eastern Freeway, Dr B R Ambedkar road, the Western Express Highway, and Kherwadi.

Social media users shared visuals of the heavy showers.