Heavy rains lash Thane, Palghar; holiday declared for schools, colleges on Tuesday

Thane/Palghar, Aug 18 (PTI) Heavy rains in Thane and Palghar districts since the early hours of Monday affected normal life, with waterlogging on the potholed Ghodbunder Road, an arterial route in the region, bringing traffic to a crawl, officials said.

With the India Meteorological Department issuing a red alert for both districts, the administrations have declared a holiday for all educational institutions on Tuesday as a precautionary measure, they said.

The IMD has warned of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in both districts.

Thane city recorded more than 100 mm of rainfall at 4.30 pm, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the disaster management cell of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).

"The rainfall recorded on a single day till now was 100.31 mm. Between 12.30 and 1.30 pm, it was 20.82 mm, and between 1.30 and 2.30 pm, the maximum of 27.44 mm was recorded," he said.

The rise in water levels affected traffic on Chena Bridge in Bhayander, while a man was swept away in a 'nullah' at Blue Diamond Square in Navi Mumbai's Sector 28 around noon, officials said.

"Reports received from local police and fire brigade indicate that the man had jumped into the nullah. Due to the swelling waters and heavy downpour, the rescue teams have been unable to trace him. Other details are awaited," said Sachin Kadam, chief of the NMMC's disaster management cell.

Tadvi said several areas were inundated, but no untoward incident has been reported so far in Thane.

Palghar also witnessed heavy rain since the early hours of the day, but no untoward incident has been reported, said disaster management official Vivekanand Kadam.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Pankaj Shirsat said that stretches at Karpe Compound in Versova and some other places developed potholes due to heavy rains over the past few days, leading to traffic disruptions.

Single-line traffic is being monitored to bring relief to motorists, the DCP added. PTI COR BNM ARU