Heavy rains lash Mumbai; IMD issues alerts
Heavy rains lashed Mumbai in 24 hours till Saturday morning, although no major waterlogging was reported and local trains, as well as city buses, largely ran as per their normal schedule. Mumbai had got some respite from rains on Friday morning after a downpour on two previous days brought the city to a halt. However, heavy rains were back after a brief break.
This is how much rainfall the city recorded
A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said that the city recorded an average rainfall of 79.66 mm, while the western and eastern suburbs received 92.68 mm and 89.30 mm rainfall, respectively, in the last 24-hours ending 8 am on Saturday.
BMC has also issued a 'high alert'
The IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai for Saturday and a red alert for Sunday. Mumbai and Thane districts would "very likely receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places (on Saturday)," it had earlier said. After the IMD's forecast, the BMC also issued a "high alert" to all the agencies considering "very heavy rainfall" in the next two days.
Coast Guard, the Navy, and NDRF are on standby
All civic control rooms, as well as those operated by other agencies, have been issued the "high alert" directive, while the Coast Guard, the Navy, and NDRF have been asked to remain on standby to render help if required. A high tide of 4.34 meters is expected at 1:32 pm and a low tide of 1.89 meters at 7:27 pm on Saturday.
Trains and buses are running as per schedule
Despite Friday rains, the BEST buses and suburban local services of Central Railway and Western Railway are running as per their normal schedule, and no major untoward incident was reported. On Saturday morning, rains took a break in most parts of the city and suburbs. No major waterlogging was reported in the low-lying areas. The flow of traffic on the city roads is smooth.
Temporary shelters in BMC schools have been kept ready
"People are advised to not visit beaches, seafronts etc. Temporary shelters in BMC schools located in 24 civic wards have been kept ready," an official said. The southwest monsoon had arrived in the city with a bang on Wednesday as heavy rains caused flooding on roads and rail tracks, disrupting suburban train services.
