Mumbai was brought to a virtual standstill after heavy rain pounded the city on Monday night, killing more than 20 people in the city and neighbouring Thane. The local trains, a lifeline for Mumbai's 20 million residents, were affected badly with many suburban as well as long-distance trains cancelled. Many flights were diverted and cancelled as well after a Spicejet aircraft skidded during landing on Monday night, leading to the closure of the main runway. After the Maharashtra government declared a public holiday in Mumbai and its suburbs, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis advised residents to stay indoors as the weather office sounded a red alert in Mumbai, warning of heavy rain. 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. Mumbai has received 375 millimetres of rain since Monday - the highest over a 24-hour period in a decade.
Here are the top 10 updates on Mumbai rain:
Many parts of Mumbai and its suburbs turned into huge tracts of muddy water. Small vehicles were submerged, and several tempos, trucks and heavy vehicles stranded on the roads adding to traffic chaos.
The main runway of the Mumbai airport is closed since Monday night since a Spicejet flight skid off the runway. As a result, 55 flights have been diverted to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Goa. The secondary runway is functional.
Central Railway stopped its services since early Tuesday as tracks were underwater in many places. The Central Railway resumed full services around 5.15 pm, though the Western Railway managed to trudge along with delays and cancellations.
A public holiday was declared in Mumbai and two neighbouring districts - Mumbai Suburban and Thane, on Tuesday. While schools and colleges remained closed, many private companies asked their employees to work from their home.
The Maharashtra government advised people to avoid stepping out of their homes. "Due to heavy rain forecast in Mumbai even today by IMD, People are advised to stay indoors unless there is any emergency," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's office tweeted.
The city is set for more downpours in the next 24 to 48 hours. While the weather office has sounded a red alert in Mumbai for today, an orange category warning - of less intense rain - has been given from Wednesday to Friday.
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.
With inputs from agencies
