Mumbai:
In the first major downpour of this monsoon season, heavy rains lashed Mumbai today disrupting road and rail traffic.
The maximum rain was recorded in the suburban areas. The incessant showers have left several low-lying areas in south Mumbai waterlogged with traffic jams being reported on the two main Express highways. Areas like Hindmata, Parel and Dadar are partially submerged in water.
Trains on Mumbai's Central Railway were also affected with most running late, thus causing major inconvenience to passengers during peak hours. The Central Railway connects CST to Thane and other suburbs like Kalyan and is used by lakhs of passengers every day.
Flooding or waterlogging on tracks, though, has not been reported from the area. "Trains are running regularly but there has been a slight delay due to rains," a railway official told NDTV. The city's local trains are its lifeline as lakhs of commuters use them to get to work in the island city.
There is no respite in sight for Mumbaikars, though, with the weather department having issued a warning for heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in the city as well as in the coastal region of Konkan.
The city's maximum temperature was 30 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature recorded was 27 degrees Celsius.
Mumbai has been facing a severe water crisis after the monsoon skipped its regular date of June 10 this year.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had warned that the city, with a population of nearly 18 million, would face a severe water shortage for the rest of the year if monsoon fails.