Mumbai: At least 22 people were killed in 11 different incidents as rains wreaked havoc on Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region since midnight, the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) Disaster Control said here on Sunday.
As Mumbai slept the skies opened up with thunder, lightning and heavy rains measuring between 197mm to over 235mm in some areas in barely 3-4 hours, as per the India Meteorological Deapartment (IMD) Mumbai. The rains submerged many areas and hit road and rail traffic badly.
According to the BMC Disaster Cell and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), at least 17 people were killed when a wall collapsed after a tree fell at Vashi Naka, New Bharat Nagar in the Chembur area around 1am.
In another incident, at least 3 people died when a few hutments caved in the Suryanagar slums in Vikhroli east.
A 16-year-old boy, Soham M. Thorat, was killed when the wall of his home collapsed early on Sunday, while a 26-year-old youth Salim M. Patel was electrocuted in his shop in Andheri west.
Twelve other people injured in these incidents have been rushed to various hospitals and are undergoing treatment, with their condition described as stable.
The BMC’s gauges recorded rainfall of 177mm in South Mumbai, 205mm in Eastern Suburbs and 195mm in Western Suburbs.
In many areas, people reported waist-deep water with the flood waters entering the ground floor homes or shops in the vulnerable or low-lying areas.
The downpour, which started after midnight, continued virtually non-stop and led to flooding in most parts of the city besides the coastal Konkan districts of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane and Palghar.
The rains hit the suburban train services with WR lines flooding at Nalla Sopara and Virar, and the CR tracks getting submerged at Dadar, Sion, Kurla, Parel, Chunabhatti and Tilaknagar.
By 7am as the water levels receded from the railway tracks, the WR resumed services between Churchgate and Borivali and the CR started services on the mainline and Harbour Line.
The BMC said waterlogging or flooding was reported in at least 31 localities across Mumbai, including the regular hotspots and the east-west subways in the western suburbs.
However, the rain’s repercussions were not felt much for the commuters as it was a Sunday, with most people remaining indoors, as the intensity dropped since daybreak.
With flood waters entering the Bhandup Water Treatment Plant, the BMC has said that there will be water shortages in some parts of the city till repairs are completed and urged people to use water sparingly.
The IMD Mumbai has warned of more rains during the day, including a few very heavy spells for which the BMC, NDRF, Police, Fire Brigade and other agencies are on high alert in Mumbai and the entire coastal Konkan region.
