Mumbai reels under heavy rain; BMC issues high tide warning; govt offices, schools shut

Mumbai: Relentless rains lashed Mumbai and its suburbs for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, leaving several areas inundated, disrupting road and rail traffic, and prompting authorities to shut schools, colleges and government offices.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that all government and semi-government offices in the city would remain shut on August 19, while private establishments were urged to allow employees to work from home. The decision came amid a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), forecasting extremely heavy showers at isolated places in Mumbai and neighbouring regions.

According to the IMD, several parts of the city recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours. Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs reported the highest downpour at 255.5 mm, followed by Byculla (241 mm), Juhu (221.5 mm) and Bandra (211 mm). The Santacruz observatory, which represents the western suburbs, logged 238.2 mm, while the Colaba observatory in south Mumbai recorded 110.4 mm. Mahalaxmi reported the lowest at 72.5 mm.

The downpour caused severe water-logging in low-lying areas, including Gandhi Market, Dadar, Sion, Chembur and Andheri, leading to massive traffic snarls. Local train services, considered the lifeline of the metropolis, were delayed, while the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking diverted several bus routes due to submerged roads.

Residents of Mumbai Central, Parel, Grant Road, Malabar Hill and Worli saw between 40 mm and 65 mm of rainfall within just one hour early on Tuesday, civic officials said. Between 8 am on Monday and 6 am Tuesday, the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs received an average rainfall of 128.86 mm, 154.37 mm and 185.74 mm, respectively.

The Directorate of Higher Education also declared a holiday for all senior colleges across the Konkan region, including Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, due to the weather conditions.

With heavy showers continuing on Tuesday morning and the IMD warning of more, civic authorities urged citizens to stay indoors and step out only if necessary.