Heavy rains lash Mumbai, flight operations disrupted

Mumbai; Heavy rains coupled with thunder and lightning lashed the metropolis this afternoon, slowing down movement of vehicular traffic and suburban trains, and bringing back memories of torrential downpour late last month when the financial capital came to a standstill.

As the visibility dropped below 550 metres due to the downpour, runway operations at the Mumbai airport were suspended for a brief period during which some flights were diverted to nearby airports.

With the weather department forecasting more rain, the civic administration and other agencies have geared up to tackle any eventuality and keep the city afloat unlike on August 29, when the metropolis was flooded.

"No untoward incident has been reported so far owing to the rains and our contingency services are in alert mode," said a senior official attached with the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

"Till 5 this evening, our weather station in South Mumbai has recorded 28.71 mm rainfall. The eastern and western suburbs have recorded 28.93 mm and 25.11 mm rainfall, respectively," said the official.

On Sunday, the weather department had forecast heavy rains in Mumbai and the coastal Konkan region for the next three days.

However, the metropolis did not receive any significant amount of rainfall yesterday.

On August 29, Mumbai received more than 300 mm rainfall that crippled transport services and threw normal life out of gear.

Several parts of the city and its suburbs, including South Mumbai, Borivali, Kandivili, Andheri and Bhandup, received heavy rainfall, the official said.

The downpour, which started in the afternoon, was accompanied by thunder and lightning.

As per information received from the Colaba observatory, the north Konkan region of Maharashtra, including Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, is expected to receive more rainfall, the official said.

There were reports of slow movement of vehicles on the city's streets, while suburban trains were running late.

PRO of Central Railway A K Jain said, "(Suburban) trains are running a bit late, but there has been no cancellation till now."

A tree branch fell between Andheri and Vile Parle stations on the Harbour corridor in the afternoon, briefly halting the traffic, he added.

Mumbaikars, meanwhile, took to social media to express that all too familiar sinking feeling.

"Offices closing. Roads jammed. Waterlogged. A Mini 29 Aug is back. Stay Safe Mumbai," Pankaj Gupta tweeted with a hashtag #MumbaiRains @smart_mumbaikar @RidlrMUM.