The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert on Wednesday as heavy rains lashed Mumbai as well as neighbouring Thane and Palghar, even as an orange alert was also issued in surrounding areas for heavy to very heavy showers, thunderstorms and gusty winds.
In the last 24 hours leading up to early July 1, several Mumbai areas received more than 100 mm of rain, triggering waterlogging and traffic snarls in low-lying areas such as the Andheri subway and parts of Navi Mumbai, while the temperature was recorded at 27 degrees Celsius.
Heavy rains continued to batter Mumbai over the past 24 hours, leaving two people dead, several injured and causing widespread disruption across the city, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said.
BMC officials said that due to heavy rains, water levels in Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Vihar, and Tulsi lakes, which supply drinking water to Mumbai, rose by 1.72 metres, though Upper Vaitarna and Bhatsa, two of the largest water-supply lakes, have experienced a decline in water levels.
IMD scientist Bikram Singh said, “In the past 24 hours, we have received good rains, and there were heavy to very heavy rains at many stations in Mumbai. So today also, we have given an orange alert for Mumbai and heavy to very heavy rains in a few places are expected. So certainly in those low-lying areas, there will be some waterlogging and inundation. We have given this information continuously to BMC and the State Disaster Management Authority. So they are monitoring the situation, and they will take necessary action. We are keeping Ratnagiri on red alert because we are already receiving extremely heavy rains from those areas.”
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also reported dozens of rain-related incidents, including tree falls, short circuits, structural collapses and a landslide.
Heavy monsoon showers continued to lash Mumbai and neighbouring Thane on Wednesday, with parts of the city recording over 100 mm of rainfall in just seven hours, according to data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).
As per the BMC’s rainfall update, the highest rainfall between 8 am and 3 pm was recorded at Powai Municipal School in Powai, which received 118.4 mm of rain.
On Wednesday, Mumbai suburban local trains on the Central Railway as well as Western Railway lines faced delays, while movement on the Harbour line was briefly disrupted due to a broken overhead wire.
The heavy rainfall led to waterlogging in several low-lying areas, disruption of traffic and incidents of falling trees.
Amid heavy rains across Mumbai, Powai Lake in the city’s eastern suburbs started overflowing on Wednesday, July 1, even as water stock in the seven reservoirs supplying drinking water to the metropolis remained abysmally low as compared to last year.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that Powai Lake, which is one of the key artificial lakes within its jurisdiction, began overflowing at around 5.30 am on Wednesday. “With a water holding capacity of 545 crore litres, the lake’s water is used only for industrial purposes,” the BMC said in a post on X.
The excess water from Powai Lake flows into the Mithi river, which drains into the Arabian Sea at Mahim.
Other areas in the eastern suburbs that witnessed intense rainfall included Tagore Nagar Municipal School in Vikhroli (117.4 mm), Vikhroli Fire Station (115.8 mm), MCMCR, Powai (114 mm), and the Building Proposal Office in Vikhroli West (106 mm).
The western suburbs also experienced heavy rainfall during the seven-hour period. Andheri Fire Station topped the list with 116.4 mm of rain, followed by Malpa Dongari Municipal School, Andheri (112.4 mm), Cooper Hospital (110.8 mm), K-East Ward Office (107.2 mm), and SWM Santacruz Workshop (107.2 mm).
In the island city, rainfall was comparatively lower. The G-South Ward Office recorded the highest rainfall at 47.8 mm, followed by B Nadkarni Park Municipal School, Wadala (46.6 mm), F South Ward Office (46.6 mm), F North Ward Office (45.8 mm), and Worli Fire Station (41.2 mm).