Heavy rainfall in Maharashtra left seven persons dead and led some rivers to rise to alarming levels, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday.
Mumbai and its neighbouring districts of Thane, Palghar and Raigad were placed under a red alert for very heavy rainfall on Tuesday, while an orange alert was sounded for heavy rain on Wednesday.
Residents were advised to avoid stepping out unless necessary.
The India Meteorological Department warned that heavy rainfall will continue in the state till Thursday.
Schools and colleges in Mumbai city and suburbs were closed on Tuesday in view of the weather conditions, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
The civic body also ordered all government and semi-government offices in the city to remain shut on Tuesday, The Hindu reported.
Between 8.30 am and 4 pm on Tuesday, Mumbai’s Vikhroli area received 158.5 mm of rainfall, the airport 158 mm and Santa Cruz 135.5 mm.
Several places in Mumbai and Thane reported waterlogging on Tuesday.
Six express trains between Pune and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus were cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday due to heavy rainfall and waterlogging, said the Central Railways.
Sixteen express trains starting from various stations in Mumbai were rescheduled on Tuesday.
Forecast
Mumbai is likely to receive intense to very intense spells of rainfall between 4 pm and 7 pm on Tuesday, the weather department said.
The department added that heavy to very heavy rainfall was expected in some places and extremely heavy rainfall was expected in isolated places till 8.30 am on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in Maharashtra on Wednesday, extremely heavy rainfall was expected at isolated places in the ghats of Pune and Raigad, the India Meteorological Department added.
Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri and Nandurbar districts are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Wednesday, along with the ghats of Nashik, Kolhapur and Satara districts.
The city had received 170 mm of rainfall in just eight hours on Monday, according to the chief minister’s office.
Between Friday morning and Monday evening, Mumbai recorded more than 550 mm of rainfall, The Indian Express reported.
On Monday, waterlogging was reported at 14 locations in the city, said Fadnavis, adding that railways and metro services continued to run smoothly.
He added that heavy rainfall was also recorded in Ratnagiri, Raigad and Hingoli.
Some rivers in the Konkan region have risen to alarming levels and Jalgaon has reported extensive losses due to flooding, said Fadnavis.
In Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, a 19-year-old man went missing after he was swept away while crossing an overflowing stream in the Kodpe village, PTI quoted officials as saying on Tuesday. Search operations were underway to find him.
Fadnavis said on Tuesday that crops on 12 lakh to 14 lakh acres of land have been affected due to excessive rainfall.
Yamuna crosses danger mark in Delhi
The Yamuna river crossed the danger mark of 205.3 metres on Monday for the first time in two years.
In 2023, the river reached an all-time high of 208.6 metre on July 13, breaching embankments and causing widespread flooding in several areas along the river.
By Monday evening, the Yamuna had already surged to 205.6 metres, and the Central Water Commission forecast it could breach 206 metres on Tuesday.
Evacuations in low-lying areas would begin once the river crosses 206 metres, the Hindustan Times reported.
The surge follows heavy discharges from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana, with officials reporting that over 1 lakh cusecs of water were released for nearly 12 hours between 1 pm on Sunday and 1 am on Monday. The peak discharge of 1.7 lakh cusecs at 4 pm was the highest of the season, the Hindustan Times reported.
According to flood control norms for the Yamuna, the warning level is 204.50 metres, the danger level is 205.33 metres and evacuations officially begin at 206 metres.
Ganga crosses warning level in Haridwar
The water level of the Ganga river has risen above the warning mark in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand following incessant rainfall, PTI reported.
On Monday, the river was already 10 cm above the warning level and is continuing to rise, according to officials.
While authorities have advised people living near the floodplains to stay alert, relief and rescue teams have also been put on standby.
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