First major rains slow Mumbai

Image: People push a cab stranded in rain-water
Photographs: Sahil Salvi

Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Friday leading to water logging in many low lying areas and disrupting traffic.

Several low-lying areas in the city and suburbs were water-logged after overnight heavy showers, causing delays for office-goers, and school and college students.

First major rains slow Mumbai

Image: School children make their way through the flooded pavement

On Thursday, south Mumbai got 15.6 mm rains while the suburbs got 4.9 mm. Media reports said it picked up on Thursday night with heavy showers in most parts of the city, suburbs, Navi Mumbai and surrounding areas of Thane and Raigad.

First major rains slow Mumbai

Image: Kids make a splash

Among the areas which experienced water-logging were Andheri, Malad, Santacruz, and Dahisar suburbs in western Mumbai and Kurla, Sion, Ghatkopar on the eastern side. Long queues of vehicles were seen on the Western Express and Eastern Express highways as water from surrounding areas flowed on to the main thoroughfares connecting south Mumbai.

First major rains slow Mumbai

Image: A taxi stranded at a flooded road-side

Bhandup, Kurla and Mulund in eastern suburbs too witnessed heavy water logging, the official said, adding that there were no casualties and no damage to property reported as yet.

First major rains slow Mumbai

Image: Vehicles navigate through a flooded street

Suburban train services of the Western and the Central Railways were delayed by about 10 to 15 minutes due to heavy rains but were operating without any hindrance, railway officials said. Operations at the city's international airport were also largely unaffected due to the rain.

First major rains slow Mumbai

Image: Traffic cops sure had a tough time

Agency reports, quoting the weather office, said the forecast for the next 24 hours could bring isolated heavy to very heavy showers, which could add more than 13 cm (5.1 inches) of rain on some areas.

First major rains slow Mumbai

Image: Construction work further added to traffic woes

Meanwhile, the rains ensured a dip in the minimum and maximum temperatures, which are now at 31.8 and 25.3 degrees Celsius respectively. So far the city has received only 42.6 mm and the suburbs 28.5 mm rainfall. This spells a yawning deficit of 373 mm for the city and 361 mm for the suburbs at this time of the year.

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