Heavy overnight rains inundate parts of Mumbai, suburbs; local train services hit

Mumbai: Heavy downpour pummelled Mumbai and its suburbs, with some parts recording more than 200 mm rainfall in the wee hours of Saturday, inundating low-lying areas and affecting the movement of local trains.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the metropolis for two days.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appealed to citizens not to step out unnecessarily.

A landslide occurred at the Vikhroli Parksite area in the eastern suburbs, killing two people and injuring as many others.

The downpour began around 1 am and continued into the early hours of the day, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas of the western and eastern suburbs, including Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Andheri, Kings Circle, Malad, and Goregaon, among others.

Mumbai's suburban train services were also affected due to water accumulation on tracks at several locations on the Central and Western Railway lines.

Tracks were waterlogged at Dadar, Kurla, Sion, Chunabhatti, Tilak Nagar, among other railway stations in the morning, severely disrupting operations on the main and harbour lines of the Central Railway and delaying trains on the Western Railway.

A spokesperson from the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) said that bus operations were also affected, as several buses diverted from waterlogged areas in Sion, Kings Circle, Aarey Colony, and Malad Subway, among others.

Civic officials said pumping operations were underway in multiple areas, and response teams had been deployed to address complaints of waterlogging and tree falls.

According to the IMD, several parts of Mumbai recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am on Friday and 5.30 am on Saturday.

Vikhroli, in the eastern suburbs, recorded the highest rainfall at 248.5 mm, followed by Santacruz with 232.5 mm, Sion with 221 mm, and Juhu with 208 mm.

The intensity of rainfall was higher in the suburbs compared to south Mumbai, where Colaba recorded just 70 mm of rainfall during this period.