By IANS,
Mumbai : India’s financial capital came to a grinding halt Monday as incessant downpour flooded Mumbai, Thane, Raigad districts and surrounding areas for the fourth consecutive day.
In what has become an annual feature, the metropolis was paralysed due to waterlogging. Several parts of the city were inundated with three to five feet of water. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city received 50 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours till early hours of Monday.
The Mithi river and its three tributaries breached the danger mark and spilled on to the roads in Santa Cruz, Kalina and Kurla areas adjoining Mumbai airport. People were even seen catching small and big fish on the roads as the river brought the marine life out on the city roads.
Many areas of Mumbai were reported under three to five feet of water and ground floor flats were waterlogged in Dahisar, Borivili, Kandivili, Goregaon, Jogeshwari, Andheri, Santacruz, Khar, Mahim, Matunga and Mumbai Central areas on the western side.
According to municipal corporator R.P. Choubey, over five feet of water was standing at Ashok Nagar and Krishna Nagar areas in Borivili East.
On the eastern side, flooding was reported at Kurla, Sion, Bhandup, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli and Dadar.
The suburban train network, the lifeline of the metropolis, was not disrupted till 4 p.m. Monday but most trains were running 35-45 minutes behind schedule, a railway spokesperson said.
He, however, could not say for how long the situation would remain under control as the high tide would start at 4.30 p.m. and will last till 10.00 p.m.
Many offices in south Mumbai were closed by the lunch time and people were asked to go home early. This led to massive traffic jams on the Western and Eastern Expressways, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, Linking Road and Swami Vivekanand Road.
People were stranded for hours in buses, auto-rickshaws and private vehicles as rains continued and waterlogging worsened.
There is no respite in sight for the residents of the metropolis as the Met Office forecast “heavy to very heavy rains” for Mumbai, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts for the next 48 hours till Wednesday.
The entire coastal Konkan area is also expected receive heavy rainfall.
The IMD has warned the fisherman not to venture out into the seas for the next 48 hours till Wednesday. Stormy conditions are expected to prevail with winds speed going up to 50 km per hour.
Although casualty figures remain sketchy, the police control room confirmed that one young boy was swept away in the Bandra Creek area.