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Mumbai At A Standstill As City Receives 10 Days Of Rainfall in 24 hours

Mumbai At A Standstill As City Receives 10 Days Of Rainfall in 24 hours
PTI

Mumbai’s low-lying areas and suburbs were water-logged today as the city received 10 days of its rainfall quota in 24 hours. BMC chief Ajoy Mehta advised citizens to remain at home and for schools to remain shut tomorrow, as more heavy rains were expected.

BMC had to divert traffic in 13 places in the city due to extensive water logging as torrential rains lashed the city in Mumbai and its suburbs including Kurla, Chembur, Tilak Nagar, Andheri, Parel, Lower Parel, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Dombivili. Around 120 suction pumps were pressed into service to drain out water in low-lying areas.

Power-Cut

Mumbai’s power supplier Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) shut down six substations since the morning as a precautionary measure, BEST Deputy PRO Manoj Varade told PTI. The six substations are in Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Punjabi Colony (Sion), Bhendi Bazaar, and Opera House. Varade said that the operations are unlikely to resume if heavy rains continue.

Many BEST employees were unable reach their offices as the train services on all the three lines--western, central and harbour--were shut due to water logging on railway tracks.

Trains, Flights Cancelled

Thousands of commuters were stranded as the downpour let to disruption of trains services, flights, and vehicular traffic.

While Central Railway services still remain cancelled, the Western Railway has partially resumed services on a limited stretch between Andheri and Virar.

One flight each of Indigo and Jet Airways had to be diverted to Ahmedabad, while a third one of Go Air had to be sent to Vadodara, said a spokesperson for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).

Long distance trains destined for the city have started moving, while local trains will resume after the high tide recedes, said Central Railway's Public Relations Officer (PRO) Narendra Patil, speaking to ANI. "There were around 20-25 long distance trains which were stranded from Kasara to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CSTM) and Karjat to CSTM. Out of these, 17 are stranded between Kalyan to CSTM. We have started moving those long distance trains," he said.

Government Issues Advisory

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today appealed to Mumbaikars to venture out only if required and asked people to stay away from seafronts during high tide slots as waves will be more than four-metre-high.

After taking stock of the situation at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) disaster management cell, he also suggested to the public to refer to advisories being issued by the civic body on an hourly-basis before leaving home.

Opposition Seeks ACB Probe In Nullah Cleaning Work

Dhananjay Munde, opposition leader in Legislative Council sought a probe by ACB into the alleged nullah cleaning scam, claiming that it amounted to 4,000 crores in the last decade. Where have the 150 crore spent on nullah cleanliness this year gone, Munde demanded to know. "It is a huge embarrassment that the financial capital comes to a standstill in the very first rains of the season," he said.

(With Agency Inputs)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.