Mumbai: Five different weather systems combined to bring torrential rainfall to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region on Sunday. Several portions of the city received between 100mm and 190mm of rain, resulting in severe waterlogging, road closures, traffic and airline diversions, short circuits, and the evacuation of picnickers.
Mumbai Rains at its forceful best. pic.twitter.com/aXxjFCKmXR
— Mumbai Rains (@IndiaWeatherMan) July 22, 2024
Multiple Weather Systems Lead to Heavy Rainfall
Civic and traffic police officers conducted relief and rescue efforts in many locations, even as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow notice for Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar districts, signifying moderate to very heavy rains in isolated areas, for three days beginning Monday. On July 22 and 23, the Raigad district will be under an orange alert (severe to very heavy rains in several areas).
According to IMD officials, two meteorological systems—the monsoon trough and the off-shore trough—are mainly responsible for bringing precipitation to Mumbai during the monsoon season. While these systems were active throughout the weekend, officials ascribed the heavy rain to three other weather systems: a cyclonic circulation over the northeast Arabian Sea near Kutch, a well-defined low-pressure area across interior Odisha and neighboring Chhattisgarh, and a shear zone.
IMD Issues Alerts for Mumbai and Surrounding Areas
“The monsoon brings westerly winds. The cyclonic circulation and low-pressure area are facilitating wind convergence, which is a favorable condition for heavy rainfall,” stated Sushma Nair, a scientist at IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre. Operations at Mumbai Airport were suspended twice during the day, resulting in the cancellation of 36 flights and the diversion of 15 planes, including those via Ahmedabad.
Waterlogging was reported from various parts of the city, and officials from the relevant departments were on the scene overseeing relief efforts and opening manholes with the assistance of additional personnel. Meanwhile, Congress leaders Sufiyan Haider, working president of the Mumbai Youth Congress, and Priyanka Sanap, national coordinator, utilized a ferry in Versova to highlight the BMC’s ineptitude in draining the waterlogged area.
Impact on City Operations and Infrastructure
Complaints of falling branches/trees were received from five locations in the city, two in the eastern suburbs and twelve in the western suburbs. Complaints of wall collapse were received from eight locations, one in the eastern suburbs and six in the west. Six short circuit accidents were reported on Sunday, four in the city and two in the western suburbs. Officials stated that all complaints were forwarded to the appropriate departments, and relief work was launched quickly.
A slight landslide was reported at Kajolkar Society, Chimbal Road, Jagdusha Nagar, Ghatkopar. A house on which stones fell during the landslide was evacuated, and then personnel from the N ward and the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) investigated the situation and cordoned off the area. Nobody was wounded in the incident.
Rescue and Relief Efforts by Civic Authorities
Police, city officials, and firefighters rescued several picnickers who had become stuck near popular waterfalls in Navi Mumbai. “More than 60 persons were stuck near the waterfall ahead of Jai Durga Nagar in Belapur’s Sector 8. Water from the hills gushes out into the region, and they were trapped because the water current was so powerful,” said Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde.
Firefighters and an emergency response team, together with Navi Mumbai police, rushed to the scene and rescued the visitors, he added. Officials monitored the situation in Navi Mumbai from the recently established centralized command center at the NMMC headquarters in Belapur, which is linked to more than 1,500 CCTV cameras.
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