Heavy Rainfall Wreaks Havoc In Mumbai, Schools Shut; Waterlogging, Traffic Congestion Witnessed In Many Parts Of City

Mumbai: Mumbai has witnessed major disruptions due to heavy rainfall on Monday, including blocked traffic and severe waterlogging in many areas. Vehicular movement has been paused in several areas due to the incessant rainfall.

The most affected areas include Gandhi Market in Sion and the Western Express Highway in Vile Parle.

Earlier, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted heavy rainfall in the city. 

In a post on X, IMD gave details of areas affected by rainfall across the country.

"During 0830 hrs IST of Yesterday to 0530 hrs IST of today, 18 August, Moderate to Heavy rainfall occurred Moderate to Heavy rainfall over Costal Andhra Pradesh (Vishakhapatnam - 92mm), Costal Maharashtra (Ratnagiri 109 mm, Santacruz 71mm) and Goa (Panjim 69mm) moderate rainfall over Saurashtra & Kutch, coastal & South Interior Karnataka, Kerala, Telengana, Rayalaseema, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gengatic west Bengal, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Andaman islands", IMD stated in its post.

Additionally, a flash flood warning was issued by the agency for the Konkan region including Palghar, Raigarh, and Mumbai. 

Due to the situation, Andheri subway was closed due to excessive waterlogging. Apart from Andheri West Veera Desai Road, Vakola, Sion, Kurla, Chuna Bhatti, Chembur, and many low lying areas of Mumbai have been flooded. The weather department had issued a red alert in Mumbai till 12 pm. Heavy rain is likely in Mumbai in the next 24 hours, according to weather forecast. BMC has urged people not to leave their homes unless there is urgent work.

Flash floods might also occur at certain areas in the next 24 hours, which might lead to waterlogging, as per an advisory. The areas likely to be affected further include Konkan & Goa - North Goa, South Goa, Mumbai City, Palghar, Raigarh, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Suburban Mumbai districts.

The city's transportation system has been badly affected, and commuters are having trouble going around the flooded streets. To reduce the impact of the intense rains, authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation and also making efforts to curb traffic congestion.

Every year, Mumbai faces the same kind of challenges due to heavy downpour during the monsoon season. 

According to the weather forecast, Mumbai and its surrounding areas are expected to continue to witness moderate to heavy rainfall in the next few hours. Locals have been asked to take precautionary measures to avoid inconveniences.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall was predicted in Mumbai city and suburbs, with the possibility of occasional gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph on Sunday morning. 

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