Mumbai Monsoon Mayhem: Man Killed, Andheri Subway Shut & Houses Collapse; More Rain Likely

Incessant rainfall in Mumbai and Thane hit normal life on Wednesday with Andheri subway being shut for vehicular traffic, buildings collapsing and houses flooded. A man was also reported to have been killed in Malad after a tree fell on him.

The decision to close the Andheri subway was taken after nearly 2-feet of water filled the area. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has said that heavy to very heavy rainfall will lash the financial capital in the next four to five days.

“It is hereby directed that all concerned officers must visit low-lying areas in their jurisdiction where there is a possibility of flooding and take prompt necessary action,” the BMC said.

Despite the downpour, the level of lakes supplying water to Mumbai has been going down due to inadequate rainfall in their catchment areas. Due to this, the city civic body has decided to impose a 10 per cent water cut starting from Saturday.

BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has also appealed to citizens to save water and use it judiciously. The southwest monsoon covered Mumbai on Sunday, its entry into the financial capital being two weeks.

Chahal told PTI on Wednesday that the BMC has decided to implement 10 water cut in Mumbai from July 1, as the stock in lakes supplying water to the city is about seven per cent.

In the last 24 hours, there were 26 incidents of tree fall, 15 of short-circuit, and five incidents of collapse/partial collapse of houses in Mumbai, as per the civic body.

In the neighbouring Thane district, a 36-year-old woman was injured when a portion of a single-storey chawl collapsed in Mahagiri Koliwada area following heavy rain.

A portion of gallery of the 25-year-old chawl (tenement) collapsed and fell on the woman, a release from the district collectorate said. Disaster management team personnel reached the spot after being alerted. The woman was rushed to a hospital and undergoing treatment, the release said.

In another incident, the protection wall of a housing complex collapsed in Thane’s Chandanwadi locality No one was injured in the incident, Thane Municipal Corporation’s disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said.

A tree nearby was affected and was in a dangerous condition, he said. Local firemen and the disaster management cell team rushed to the spot and cleared the debris, the official said.

Thane city received 36.07 mm rainfall in just one hour between 9.30 am and 10.30 am and 49.28 mm downpour between 9.30 am and 11.30 am on Wednesday, the official said.

Additional Municipal Commissioner in-charge of disaster control, Sanjay Herwade, paid a surprise visit to the disaster management cell in the morning and reviewed its monsoon preparedness.

Since January this year, the city has recorded 306.38 mm downpour, compared to 180.56 mm in the same period last year. The city has received 70 per cent more rainfall so far this year, compared to the same period last year, the TMC said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more showers, with moderate to intense rain spells in isolated places. Suburban trains on the Central Railway and Western Railway routes were running normally, though they were delayed by a few minutes, as per railway officials.

A 38-year-old man, identified as Kaushal Doshi, received injuries in a tree fall incident at Mamledarwadi junction in the western suburb of Malad, a civic official said.

He was rushed to the civic-run Shatabdi Hospital where doctors declared him “brought dead”, the official said.

The island city, eastern and western suburbs received 12.44 mm, 42.41 mm and 40.46 mm rainfall respectively between 8 am to 12 noon on Wednesday, as per civic officials.

IMD Mumbai issued a ‘nowcast’ warning at 9.30 am on Wednesday, saying “moderate to intense spells of rain very likely to occur at isolated places” in Mumbai along with some other coastal districts.

A civic official said the IMD Mumbai has predicted moderate rain in the city and suburbs, while heavy to very heavy showers are very likely at isolated places.

(With inputs from PTI)