Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, received the highest spell of rainfall of the season within just 12 hours on August 5. The city recorded 215.8 mm rain, followed by 101.9 mm in eastern suburbs and 76.03 mm in western suburbs.
Incessant rain resulted in water logging, tree collapses, house collapses and excessive damage across the city. Among the worst hit areas was South Mumbai where many areas were inundated and were heavily waterlogged.
South Mumbai’s Colaba area reported its heaviest single-day rainfall in August in 46 years on August 5, when rains and cyclonic winds hit the city and its nearby areas. All offices, barring essential services, remained shut.
With the weather department warning of more downpour over the next few hours, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked people not to venture out of doors unless absolutely necessary.
The heavy rain also led to flooding at JJ Hospital, the state’s largest government health facility. The hospital’s emergency ward was completely inundated. The authorities had to shift patients to the wards on the upper floors.
Meanwhile, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has offered temporary shelters for stranded people and others at its schools.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured all possible support to the Maharashtra Chief Minister regarding the situation in Mumbai and surrounding areas.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 15 of its teams in Western and Coastal Maharashtra. Four teams have been deployed in Kolhapur, two teams in Sangli, and one team each in Satara, Thane, Palghar, Nagpur, and Raigad. Five of the teams have been deployed in Mumbai.
The NDRF and Railway Protection Force rescued at least 290 passengers from two local trains stranded on tracks between the CSMT and Sandhurst Road station on Wednesday.
Mumbai has already recorded 64 per cent of its monthly quota of rain in the initial five days of August. Heavy downpour has also hit areas along the Maharashtra-Karnataka border and the Konkan region, including Goa.
Also Read: Mumbai Rains: 2 Dead, 1 Rescued From Santacruz Drain, Local Trains Suspended
