Heavy rains batter Mumbai, suburbs

Heavy downpour pummelled Mumbai and its suburbs, with some parts recording more than 200 mm rainfall in the wee hours of Saturday, inundating low-lying areas and affecting the movement of local trains.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the metropolis for two days.

Incessant rain continued to lash parts of the city in the morning with occasional heavy spells.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appealed to citizens not to step out unnecessarily. Two people were killed and as many others sustained injuries in a landslide amid rains in the Vikhroli Parksite area in the eastern suburbs.

Two killed in landslide

Two persons were killed, and as many others sustained injuries in a landslide amid heavy rains in the eastern suburb of Vikhroli here on Saturday, civic officials said. The incident took place around 2.39 am at Varsha Nagar in Vikhroli Parksite, which falls under the collector’s jurisdiction, they said. Soil and stones from a nearby hillock collapsed on a hut, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.

The downpour began around 1 am and continued into the early hours of the day, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas of the western and eastern suburbs, including Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Chunabhatti, Aarey, Andheri, Kings Circle, Malad and Goregaon, among others.

The suburban train services were also severely affected due to waterlogging on tracks at several locations on the Central and Western Railway lines.

“The water receded around 8 am and the train traffic slowly returned to normalcy,” said Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of Central Railway, adding that the trains were running 15-20 minutes late around 11.30 am.

A spokesperson for the Western Railway said suburban services on the network were running about 15 minutes late.

According to railway officials, most government and private officers and establishments in the city have declared a holiday for the Dahi Handi festivities, and the suburban services were not crowded.