Mumbai Rain: 3 Dead After Heavy Showers, Schools Shut For Second Day: 10 Points

3 Dead After Heavy Rain In Mumbai, Schools Shut For Second Day: 10 Points

Mumbai Rain: The weather office has warned of more rain today.

Mumbai: Schools and junior colleges in Mumbai and neighbouring areas will remain shut today after yesterday's unprecedented rain. Heavy rain crippled the country's financial capital yesterday, delaying flights, causing traffic jams and flooding homes. A red alert was declared on Wednesday, fearing more rain. The weather department has warned of more rain today as well. Three people died yesterday in rain-related incidents. The local trains, a lifeline for Mumbai's 20 million residents, are running as per schedule. Though there was no overnight rain, several long-distance trains have been cancelled this morning. Mumbai's streets regularly flood during the monsoon, which runs from June until September or October, and which provides India with most of its annual rainfall.

Here are the top 10 updates on Mumbai rain:

Maharashtra government has declared a holiday today in all schools and junior colleges in Mumbai, Thane and the Kokan region as a precautionary measure.
On Wednesday, nearly 20 flights were cancelled and another 280 delayed at the Mumbai airport which sees around 1,000 arrivals and departures every day.
The situation worsened on Wednesday afternoon as water from the flooded Mithi river was pushed back by the high tide and submerged rail tracks at in many areas, virtually bringing the train and road traffic to a standstill.
Two civic body workers died in the western suburb of Goregoan when they drowned in rainwater during heavy rain. A 24-year-old man fell in the Mithi river and died. Mohammed Shahrukh Rafique drowned in the river while walking with two of his friends. He was declared dead at a hospital.
Newly-appointed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who reached Mumbai on Wednesday, was also affected by the rain. His convoy was made to wait on a road near the airport as a portion of it was under water, said an official from the state protocol department.
Passengers in trains were stranded for hours after local train services were stopped in many areas due to flooded tracks.
Almost every monsoon, Mumbai struggles to cope with the chaos caused by the rain. The suburban trains - the city's lifeline - are affected and low-lying areas get flooded.
Activists say Mumbai's susceptibility to floods has worsened in recent years due to a construction boom that is trying to keep up with the city's swelling population.
Much of Mumbai's mangrove cover, which is extremely effective in helping to drain water, has been destroyed over the past decade to make way for high-rises.
According to various studies, anywhere between 40 to 50 percent of the city's population live in slums, which become a sea of blue tarpaulin every monsoon as residents try to keep out the rain.