Mumbai rains: As many as 13 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in various districts of Maharashtra due to continuous torrential rains. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a “red alert” for several districts in the state.
"Extremely heavy rainfall" warning for Mumbai
Meanwhile, the issued “red alert for Mumbai. According to the weather office, ‘extremely heavy rainfall’ is likely in Mumbai and its suburban areas. The IMD extended the red alert warning for Mumbai till 8:30 am tomorrow (July 28) as the rain spells are continuing.
BMC requested all citizens to stay alert and stay indoors as incessant heavy rain lashed Mumbai the whole day, slowing down road traffic. "Team BMC is ready to face the situation! BMC's dedicated team is on high alert across the city," the BMC said.
Mumbai received heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy rain during the past 24 hours.
Schools closed in Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also announced a holiday for all government and private schools and colleges on July 27 in Mumbai. The decision came after IMD issued a "red alert" for the metropolis. “In view of the red alert issued for Mumbai, the BMC has declared a holiday for all municipal, government-run and private primary, secondary and higher secondary schools and all colleges in the city and suburbs on Thursday as safety of stunts is a top priority," a statement issued by the BMC said.
Incessant heavy rain lashed Mumbai on Wednesday, which slowed down the road traffic. Several areas, including Fort, Colaba, Nariman Point, Elphinstone Road, Grant Road, and suburbs including Andheri, Marol, Jogeshwari, and Goregaon received more than 100 mm of rainfall on Wednesday.
Wettest July ever in history
Mumbai, the financial capital of India, which is experiencing an incessant wet spell continuously for two weeks, on Wednesday recorded the wettest July ever in the history of the city. The IMD Santacruz observatory recorded 1557.8 mm of rainfall in July with five days remaining. The previous wettest July on record was in 2020 when 1,502 mm rainfall was logged by the IMD.
“From July 1 to July 26, 2023 morning 0830 hours (8.30 am), Santacruz (observatory) had recorded 1,433 mm. So, this record for the wettest July has been broken at 2030 (8.30 pm) on July 26, 2023, with the Santacruz observatory recording a total of 1557.8 mm so far,” the IMD said.
The city received 61.19 mm of rainfall between 8 am and 4 pm, while eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded 34.53 mm and 40.68 mm of rainfall, respectively, in the same period. The intensity of rain was more in the suburbs in the morning hours while the island city received intermittent heavy showers in the afternoon.
(With PTI inputs)
