Video producer: Anubhav MishraVideo editor: Mohd Ibrahim
A pause in the rains offered much-needed respite to Mumbai on Thursday, 5 September, with train and road traffic returning to normal.
Suburban trains came to a standstill and roads in low-lying areas were waterlogged on Wednesday, 4 September, following a heavy downpour.
Services on the Central line restarted around 12.15 am between Kurla to Kalyan and around 12.35 am between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Goregaon, officials said.
Special trains were run post-midnight to ferry the commuters who were stranded at various railway stations.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted about restoration of services in the morning.
Western Railway services on the fast track between Churchgate and Vasai Road also resumed.
The torrential rain on Wednesday had led to flooding of tracks in low-lying areas such as Sion.
Commuters were stranded at railway stations. Some commuters had to get down between the stations, and walk on the tracks.
Schools and junior colleges in the city would remain closed on Thursday following a government directive.
Commuters were stranded at railway stations. Some commuters had to get down between the stations, and walk on the tracks.
Schools and junior colleges in the city would remain closed on Thursday following a government directive.
Sion experiences water-logging.
(Photo: ANI)
BMC Declares Holiday, Several Trains Cancelled
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has declared a holiday for all schools in the city on Wednesday.
The South Central Railway has also updated its list of many trains that have been either cancelled or partially cancelled.
Mumbai Police, on its Twitter handle, also shared areas that are heavily waterlogged and warned the public to avoid them.
Similarly, the Western Railways also tweeted details of all trains that have been terminated or reversed because of heavy rainfall.
The Central Railway (CR) services continued to limp with average 25-30 minutes delay, but by noon, it had suspended all services between Thane and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) owing to water-logging on the tracks between Sion-Bandra, said a CR official.
The Jaipur-Mumbai Duranto Express was stranded near Vaitarna station for over an hour due to flooding on tracks. Some passengers of the train complained that the railways did not update them about the situation.
Vehicular movement on roads in Mumbai and its suburbs was also slow due to flooding.
Water seeped inside several Ganesh pandals in the city and the suburbs, compelling the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti President Naresh Dahibavkar to issue a precautionary appeal.
“All Ganeshotsav mandals are requested to check for any water seepage and whether any power lines are touching the water. They must exercise extreme caution and switch off power supply to the marquees (pandals) to ensure safety of all.”Naresh Dahibavkar, President of Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti
Neighbouring Areas Also Inundated
Over 100 villages in Gadchiroli and Gondia in Vidarbha region and several others in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg of Konkan region were cut off from other parts of their respective districts due to water-logging on roads, officials said.
Landslides were also reported in the Western Ghat areas of Raigad and Sindhudurg districts.
Following heavy rains in neighbouring Thane, Collector Rajesh Narvekar asked the schools in the district to be closed for the day.
A 62-year-old man drowned in a flooded nullah (drain) at Naikpada in Bhiwandi area of Thane, district disaster control room officer Anita Jawanjal said.
Further, landslides were reported at Tamhini ghat in Raigad and Gaganbavda ghat, which connects Kolhapur and Sindhudurg, affecting vehicular movement, officials at the respective District Collectorates said.
30 Flights Cancelled at Mumbai Airport, 118 Delayed
Flight operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) here were affected for the second day with cancellation of 30 flights and another 118 getting delayed on Thursday, 5 September.
As per a live flight-tracking website, 14 incoming and 16 outbound flights were cancelled on Thursday. In addition, 118 flights were delayed, including 86 departure.
In a brief statement, Mumbai International Airport Airport Ltd (MIAL) said that “operations are normal”.
"IndiGo has reported cancellations. Please contact the airlines for further information," it added. IndiGo suspended operations due to paucity of manpower on Wednesday night, a source said.
The airline said in a statement Thursday morning that operations had resumed as per the schedule.
“There are few cancellations to stabilize the operations. Therefore, we request the passengers to check the status of their flight before proceeding for the airport...All affected passengers are being accommodated on alternate flights,”Official statement by IndiGo airlines
On Wednesday, around 20 flights, most of them of IndiGo, were cancelled and 455 flights were delayed due to the incessant rain.
‘Heaviest Rains so Far’
Yuva Sena Chief Aaditya Thackeray in a tweet said the city has witnessed the heaviest rainfall so far.
However, rains have not dampened the spirit of Mumbaikars who were seen enthusiastically celebrating the 10-day festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.
While most Mumbaikars have taken to Twitter to share photos and videos of their areas being waterlogged, some tweets have a quirky take on the rains.
Mumbaikars Lash out at Surge Pricing
Some people even took to Twitter to show how the the rains are affecting the Uber prices, with surge pricing shooting up with every passing minute.
Although the southwest monsoon has reactivated in western and eastern areas of Maharashtra this week, the central parts of the state still remain parched.
(With inputs from The Indian Express, ANI, PTI and IANS)
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