Mumbai rains: Flight operations were severely affected in Mumbai on Monday (July 8) as the city was lashed by heavy rains, officials said, adding that continuous downpour forced the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to declare holiday for the day for all the civic, government and private schools and colleges in the city to avoid inconvenience to students. Over 50 flights were cancelled due to the heavy rain. Several airlines warned passengers on X and urged them to check flight status before leaving for the airport.
"The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai. Additionally, at 1.57 pm today, there will be a 4.40 m high tide in the sea," a BMC spokesperson said.
Heavy rains and low visibility led to the suspension of runway operations at the Mumbai airport from 2.22 am to 3.40 am on Monday and 27 diversions were reported, sources said.
Flights were diverted to cities such as Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Indore, among others, they said. Currently, priority is being given to arriving flights, the sources added.
Train services severely affected
Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of the Central Railway (CR), said train services on the fast line of the main corridor between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and neighbouring Thane were suspended due to waterlogging at various places. Suburban services were running on the slow line, he said.
The Harbour corridor services were also temporarily suspended due to waterlogging at Chunnabhati.
Commuters complained that the operational suburban services were running late. There was heavy rush of commuters at some of the key stations and in trains.
The civic body said there will be a high tide of 4.40 meters in Mumbai at 1.57 pm, which coupled with heavy rains could lead to waterlogging in low lying areas.
The IMD Mumbai in the morning predicted "generally cloudy sky with moderate to heavy rain in the city and suburbs" in the next 24 hours, the BMC said.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Kurla and Ghatkopar areas of Mumbai and in other parts of Maharashtra, including Thane, Vasai ( Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Sindhudurg, a spokesperson of the NDRF said.
(With PTI inputs)
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