Mumbai Schools Shut Amid Heavy Rains, Trains Cancelled; Gujarat Districts Flooded | Updates

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday declared a holiday for all schools in Mumbai and Konkan region in light of the yellow alert issued due to heavy rains, while heavy rains lashed parts of Saurashtra districts of Gujarat state, causing floods in low-lying areas and isolating several villages.

Here are the top updates you need to know about heavy rains in Maharashtra and Gujarat

Mumbai

• The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert on Thursday for Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri. Mumbai was also issued a yellow caution. Intermittent moderate to severe rain is expected to continue over parts of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar over the next 3-4 hours. At the moment, bouts of heavy rain are very likely to hit parts of the northeastern suburbs, Thane, and Raigad. It is very likely that a storm will blow from time to time.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has declared a holiday for all schools in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts amid a heavy rain warning in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Children are also advised to stay indoors and not venture out to take a dip in the rain or take selfies.
• Shinde also visited the control room of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to assess the situation in Mumbai.

• Maharashtra’s Education Minister, Deepak Kesarkar, has appealed to people to stay away from beaches and ships.
• Due to heavy rains affecting local train services and road traffic, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shinde has ordered early closure of government offices in Mumbai and adjoining areas.
• A civilian official said a five-year-old girl was killed after the third floor slab of a five-storey building collapsed in the suburb of Bhandup in the early hours of the morning.
• A four-month-old baby slipped from a man’s arm into a flooded drain near Thakurli town during heavy rain. The accident occurred when the suburban train bound for Ambernath was stopped between Thakurli and Kalyan stations due to flooded tracks. A young woman and her brother-in-law tried to walk up narrow pipes in the gutter, but the child slipped and fell into the swollen waters below. The mother screamed in terror, and videos of the incident went viral. Prime Minister Eknath Shinde expressed his condolences over the unfortunate incident.
• Under the orange alert, which predicted heavy to very heavy rain in some places, Mumbai saw moderate to heavy rain till Wednesday evening. According to BMC’s monsoon updates, the Colaba Observatory recorded 98.4 mm of rain, while the Santacruz Observatory recorded 52.8 mm. Between 8 am and 6 pm, the island city, the eastern suburbs, and the western suburbs received average precipitation of 58.46 mm, 48.80 mm, and 50.63 mm, respectively. Among the specific areas, Reay Road in Mumbai recorded the highest rainfall at 92.73mm, followed by 89.67mm in the suburbs of Kandivale and 84.84mm in Dahisar.
• The Central Railway’s suburban train services were restored after hours of disruption on the Kalyan-Badlapur stretch and the Kalyan-Kassara route returned within three hours. While some trains were diverted via alternative routes, others were short-hauled or canceled between Mumbai and Pune. Travelers faced inconvenience, which led some to walk on railway tracks to reach stations. The morning problem on the Panvel-Belapur Harbor Line was later resolved.

Gujarat

• Junagadh district was hit hard by heavy rains on Wednesday, with Mangrol taluka receiving 290 mm of rain in eight hours since 6 am. Malia Hatina taluka followed 191 mm of recorded rainfall. During the same period, Keshod and Manavadar in Junagadh recorded 111 mm and 110 mm respectively.
• The situation worsened as dams and seasonal rivers like Ojas overflowed due to water leakage, causing floods in villages and turning fields into lakes. Many areas experienced flash floods, forcing people to seek shelter on rooftops.

• The city of Junagadh and the town of Kechod were hit hard, disrupting normal life as roads were flooded and vehicles were drowned in low-lying areas.
• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police were actively involved in rescuing affected individuals and relocating them to safer areas.
• NDRF team has rescued more than 100 people from flooded villages in Veraval Taluka, other than Somnath, which is one of the hardest hit areas. At least 14 villages in Junagadh district have reported approaching floods. Government transport bus services have been halted in Saurashtra district due to the flood-like situation.
• The Sutrapada taluka in non-Somnath saw many villages turned into islands, with water entering homes and ruining grain and household items. Rivers like Saraswati and Hiran overflowed, causing floods in low-lying areas.
• Sortarabada, Veraval and Talaga talukas received torrential rains of 541, 481 and 299 mm respectively in the 24 hours up to 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to the SEOC. In addition, the districts of Valsad and Surat in southern Gujarat were affected, with several residential communities in Vaphi City suffering from the floods.

(with input from PTI)