Mumbai sees earliest monsoon onset in 75 years; Aqua Line station inundated

Mumbai: Monsoon arrived in Mumbai with a bang on Monday, with heavy downpour leading to suspension of suburban train services on Central Railway's Harbour line, while waterlogging was reported from several areas in the metropolis.

Heavy rainfall was also reported from parts of western Maharashtra and coastal Konkan region. A man died after being struck by lightning in Raigad district, an official said.

Operations on the Metro line 3, also known as the Aqua Line, were suspended between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli on Monday, after heavy rains inundated an underground station, officials said.

“The southwest monsoon made its onset over Mumbai today. This is the earliest onset in Mumbai in the last 75 years,” IMD scientist Sushma Nair said.

Nair said southwest monsoon arrived in Mumbai on May 29 in 1956. It arrived on the same date in 1962 and 1971, she added.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) suspended the operation after flooding was reported at the underground Acharya Atre Chowk station.

The inundation inside the metro station has raised concerns about construction quality and monsoon preparedness of the underground metro station on the 33-km long Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVLR underground metro corridor.

The MMRC, in a statement, said, "Due to the sudden and intense rainfall today, water seepage was reported at the under-construction entry/exit structure of Acharya Atrey Chowk station along Dr Annie Besant Road. The incident occurred when the RCC water-retaining wall constructed at entry/ exit collapsed due to a sudden ingress of water from an adjoining utility." As a precautionary measure and to ensure passenger safety, train services between Worli and Acharya Atrey Chowk have been temporarily suspended, the agency said.

However, the services from Aarey JVLR to Worli are not affected and are running regularly, it said.

On May 9, the MMRC extended the underground metro services between the Bandra-Kurla Complex and Aacharya Atre Chowk stations.

Viral videos showed waterlogging inside the station premises, including platforms, ticketing bay and surrounding areas.

One of the videos shows rainwater leaking along the escalators, while the false ceiling inside the station lay collapsed, and some machinery is seen scattered.

Metro Line 3 is Mumbai's first fully underground Metro line and is currently under phased construction.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the highest precipitation was recorded at Nariman Point Fire Station (104 mm) in the southern tip of the city, followed by A Ward Office (86 mm), Colaba pumping station (83 mm), and Municipal Head Office (80 mm) between 9 am and 10 am.

Amid the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) warnings about thunderstorms and gusty winds, an intense spell of rain lashed parts of Mumbai, especially the island city, for a couple of hours.

Tracks were inundated at Masjid, Byculla, Dadar, Matunga and Badlapur railway stations on Central Railway, delaying trains in the morning rush hours, leaving commuters distressed.

Western Railway said there was no waterlogging on its tracks and that trains were running normally, However, passengers reported hearing announcement at Kandivali station that the trains were running late by 15 to 20 minutes due to “technical” reasons.

A tree branch fell on electric wires between Churchgate and Marine Lines stations.

Vehicular traffic was affected after low-lying areas, including King's Circle, Mantralaya, Dadar TT East, Parel TT, Kalachowki, Wadala, Hindmata, Kemps Corner, Churchgate, Chinchpokali, and Dadar, witnessed waterlogging.

Among the spots where water accumulated was the heavily-patronised civic run KEM Hospital in Parel.

A BEST spokesperson said buses on a dozen routes had to be diverted due to waterlogging at four locations the island city.

Earlier in the day, the IMD, in its 'Nowcast', forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph at isolated places in Mumbai.

The IMD Mumbai has forecast light to moderate rainfall in parts of Mumbai for the next 24 hours, civic officials said.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited Baramati tehsil in Pune district on Monday to take stock of the rains, which he said were "unprecedented" for May.

Heavy rains lashed Baramati, Indapur and Daund tehsils on Sunday, prompting the National Disaster Response Force to deploy two specialised teams on the urgent request of the district collector.

Incidentally, Indapur, Daund and Baramati tehsils are generally considered rain-deficient.

On Sunday evening, rainwater entered several homes in 70 villages in Indapur, as well as 150 homes in Baramati, forcing local authorities to immediately shift residents to safety, police and district officials said.

A stretch of the Pune-Solapur highway near Indapur remained closed for about two hours due to waterlogging but traffic resumed after the water receded.

In a release issued late Sunday evening, the NDRF said it deployed two specialised teams to conduct rescue and relief operations in Baramati and Indapur.