Mumbai: Schools closed, local rail services delayed as heavy rains to continue for 3-4 hours

As heavy rains persist in Mumbai on Monday, the city seems to have ground to a halt, with roads in various parts of the city going under water, and commuters finding it extremely difficult to travel to work.

Roads in Mumbai's Sion, Hindmata, Andheri, Vasai, Goregaon, Malad, Kandivali, Borivali, Dahisar, Vile Parle, Santacruz, and Bandra are said to be badly affected by rainwater, with South Mumbai's King's Circle even seeing knee-high water levels. The Andheri subway and the APMC market are reportedly waterlogged as well.

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Specifically, an orange alert remains in place for Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar, while a red alert stays for the ghat areas of Pune, Satara and Kolhapur. In addition to these, a heavy rain warning has also been issued for the next three to four hours.

The Brihanmumbai Corporation (BMC) has advised people to take necessary precautions, as well as to avoid stepping out of their homes unless absolutely necessary.

“For assistance in case of emergency, please contact the helpline number 1916 at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's main control room,” a BMC post on X said.

Due to incessant rains since morning, schools in Mumbai have declared a holiday. Mumbai Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar also directed that arrangements be made to safely drop children home after morning school sessions, as per an ABP Majha report.

With strong surface winds at speeds reaching 40-50km/h likely to persist over the region till August 20 and visibility impacted, both the Central and Harbour Railways are still 15-20 minutes late. Although the Western Railway continues to operate smoothly, it may be affected if the rain persists.

Mumbai's dams are also approaching their limits, with rainfall filling them all up to 13 lakh million litres—about 90 per cent of their total capacity of 14.47 lakh million litres, the report said.

The rains continue to lash various parts of Mumbai owing to a well-marked low pressure area spanning “west-central and the adjoining north-west Bay of Bengal & northern Andhra Pradesh, to the southern Odisha coasts", as per the IMD.

The BMC, which is currently using pumps to remove water from waterlogged low-lying areas, is on high alert.

India