Mumbai has already recorded 64 per cent of its monthly quota of rain in the first five days of August.
South Mumbai's Colaba area, which includes iconic landmarks such as the Gateway of India, reported its heaviest single-day rainfall in August in 46 years on Wednesday, when rains and cyclonic winds reaching speeds of up to 107kmph hit the city and its neighbouring areas, disrupting suburban train and bus services and throwing normal life out of gear. All offices, barring essential services, remained shut. As the intensity eases, Maharashtra Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray says Mumbai will "stand up again, stronger and better...in sync with climate change needs".
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Wednesday's rainfall was the highest that Mumbai's posh Colaba area, which includes iconic landmarks such as the Gateway of India, has received in the month of August since 1974. The area recorded 331.8mm rainfall in 24 hours starting 8.30am Wednesday.
The deluge was worse than the 2005 deluge where 900mm rain fell in 12 hours. The city has already recorded 64 per cent of its monthly quota of rain in the first five days of August, with posh south Mumbai areas bearing the bulk of the brunt, and the Marine Drive virtually disappearing from sight.
Upscale areas such as Peddar Road received unusually heavy rainfall resulting in a landslide after the retaining wall collapsed. Almost 50 trees fell on a section of this road, called the NS Patkar Road.
The Vihar Lake, one of the two smaller reservoirs supplying water to Maharashtra's capital city, with a storage capacity of 27,698 million litres has been overflowing since yesterday because of the downpour in its catchment areas.
"Mumbai received almost 330 mm rain in 8 hours yesterday, and equal day before. Gusty winds up to 107 kmph. We've been battered by strong winds and heavy rains, never seen such a thing as before. We will stand up again, stronger and better, yet in sync with climate change needs," Maharashtra Minister for Tourism and Environment, Aditya Thackeray said today.
For the past two days, heavy rains and cyclonic winds have battered Mumbai and neighbouring areas, flooding rail tracks and roads, ripping off roof and balcony covers, uprooting trees and brining normal life to a standstill.
However, the weather department has said there would be gradual decrease in rainfall over the next 24 hours. "Next 24 hours could see gradual decrease in intensity of rainfall in city," said KS Hosalikar, Director General of Meteorology.
Today, the situation on ground seemed to have improved with local and suburban trains running on schedule. The National Disaster Response Force and Railway Protection Force rescued 290 passengers from two local trains stranded on flooded tracks between the CSMT and Sandhurst Road station.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured all possible support to the Maharashtra Chief Minister regarding the situation prevailing in Mumbai and surrounding areas.
Heavy downpour has also affected parts of Karnataka, and the Konkan region, including Goa and Kerala, where, IMD says, "very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall" is expected till August 9.
