 "Maha Mess: How rains have brought life to a standstill in Mumbai, Pune")
As the monsoon fury grips various parts of India, the India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Maharashtra, anticipating heavy downpours.
Several cities like Pune and Mumbai, among others, face a grim situation as the state reels under severe flooding, already claiming four lives in rain-related incidents on Thursday.
The weather agency also sounded alert for Mumbai and suburban Thane on Thursday, predicting moderate to heavy rain (yellow alert).
Here’s what the situation looks like:
Pune
Numerous parts of Pune and Kolhapur have been waterlogged due to heavy rain, impeding daily life. The order to close schools extends to Pimpri Chinchwad, Bhor, Vehle, Maval Mulshi, and Khadakwasla, in addition to Pune City.
Heavy downpours and continuous rainfall throughout the night led to four rain-related deaths in Pune on Thursday.
Three people were electrocuted early today in the Deccan Gymkhana area while attempting to retrieve a handcart from a flooded street. Street food vendors Abhishek Ghanekar, Akash Mane, and Shiva Parihar set up shop on a handcart. According to The Indian Express, a landslide in Maval tehsil’s Adarwadi village claimed one life due to rainfall.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has sent three teams to assist in rescue efforts in the Varje, Sinhgad Road, and Ekta Nagar districts.
The water level rose after the rain, submerging the Baba Bhide bridge over the Mutha River, and prompting an alert for the residents. Khadakwasla dam has reached its full capacity due to heavy rainfall.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMaharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has instructed officers to notify the Indian Air Force and Army in case of flooding in Pune or other areas. He said that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is now coordinating with officers while camping in Mantralaya, according to Hindustan Times.
All tourist attractions in the district are to be closed for 48 hours, per an order from Pune collector Suhas Diwase. Additionally, he has declared that vehicles will not be allowed on bridges that could flood. The district administration has urged citizens to stay inside and only go outside when necessary.
According to IMD’s forecasting, Pune is expected to have isolated patches of intense rainfall in the ghat areas and moderate showers in the plains until Friday.
The weather agency said that from June 1 to July 24, 2024, the Pune district received 567.2 millimetres of rain.
Mumbai
Mumbai, a city no stranger to heavy rains, has been hit hard too.
Heavy rain lashed parts of the financial capital on Thursday, with IMD predicting moderate to intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50–60 kilometres per hour in Mumbai in a warning issued at 7:00 am on Thursday, reported ANI.
IMD has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai today, with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to occur at isolated places till Friday.
Several flights have been delayed and cancelled due to heavy rain. IndiGo has said heavy rain is “causing periodic delays in flight schedules,” and asked passengers to check flight status before leaving for the airport. Air India and SpiceJet also issued similar statements.
Several areas, such as Sion, Chembur, and Andheri, have been flooded and two out of the seven lakes that supply water to the city, are overflowing, reported NDTV.
Vehicle movement through the Andheri subway has been stopped due to flooding.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said that Tansa Lake, Tulsi Lake, Modak-Sagar Lake and Vihar Lake, four of the seven lakes that supply water to the city, started overflowing today. The civic body has announced a 10 per cent cut in Mumbai’s water supply as a result, as per CNBC-TV18.
A crocodile has been spotted in the Mithi River near the business hub of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) here, a forest official said on Wednesday, adding that people should not panic.
According to a Mumbai Forest Department officer, Atul Kamble of the Wildlife Animal Protection and Rescue Association (RAWW) visited the area on Tuesday and notified the forest control centre.
Scenes from BKC🌊
— Mumbai Nowcast (@s_r_khandelwal) July 25, 2024
Situation only about to get worse! More Heavy Rains incoming⚠️
Stay wherever you are! @gaurishankarrk1 thanks for sharing! #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/Vi3t8KKyvp
As per the reports, five NDRF teams have been deployed for Mumbai, an NDRF team and four SDRF teams have been assigned for Nagpur and three SDRF teams have been dispatched for Dhule. One NDRF team is rushed to Lavasa city.
According to the IMD forecast, Mumbai will have maximum and minimum temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius respectively.
The North Konkan meteorological subdivision, which includes Mumbai city and suburbs, is set to receive widespread rain till July 30, the agency predicted.
Thane, Palghar
For Thursday, the IMD has issued an orange alert for Palghar, Raigad, and Thane.
On Wednesday, Palghar, Thane, and Kalyan had heavy to extremely heavy rain. Mulund, Thane, and other areas of Kalyan were flooded. The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) had asked residents to stay indoors on Wednesday if at all possible.
All schools and colleges in Thane district are closed today.
Lonavala, Kolhapur
On Wednesday, images of the cloudburst-like conditions in Lonavala appeared on social media, coinciding with the opening of Pune’s Khadakwasla dam following a downpour of rain.
Kolhapur saw flood-like conditions as a result of the downpour, forcing the closure of state highways including the Pune-Bengaluru highway as well as the Kolhapur-Ratnagiri and Kolhapur-Gaganbawda portions.
Lonavala Lake above normal levels.
— Lonavala Tourism ☁️ (@LonavalaTourism) July 25, 2024
Heavy rain continues…
Be safe and take care.#lonavala #MumbaiRains #mumbai #pune @rushikesh_agre_ pic.twitter.com/KbBOLiIME2
News18 reports state that the Panchganga River’s water level reached 41 feet.
The IMD forecast, released on Wednesday, also calls for isolated areas of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Raigad and Ratnagiri.
Alerts in different cities today
Red alert: Palghar, Pune, Raigad, Satara
Orange alert: Nandurbar, Dhule, Nashik, Thane, Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg
🚨 Weather Update: Rain Alert 🚨
— India With Congress (@UWCforYouth) July 25, 2024
The Regional Meteorological Centre has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai and orange alert has been declared for Thane, Palghar, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Raigad, and Ratnagiri.
Please stay indoors and venture out only if absolutely necessary.
Stay… pic.twitter.com/XCzc9dKLKO
Yellow alert: Jalgaon, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Beed, Osmanabad, Amravati, Yavatmal, Wardha, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Gondia, and Gadchiroli
Other states
Extremely heavy rainfall is predicted for Madhya Pradesh today and ongoing heavy rains for Goa until July 27 in the west and central regions of India.
Heavy rain is expected until July 28 in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Northwest India.
Significant rainfall is also predicted for Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh; Punjab and Haryana are under alert for July 25 while Uttar Pradesh is under watch for the next few days, as per News18.
On July 25, there is expected to be extremely severe rains in Karnataka, in the south peninsula of India. While Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka can anticipate similar conditions until July 26, Telangana is in for heavy showers today. Kerala will see plenty of rain through July 27.
Northeastern and eastern states are likewise not excluded.
Odisha is under alert for extremely heavy rains through July 26. On July 27 and 28, there may also be isolated heavy showers. On July 27 and 28, there is a chance of isolated heavy rainfall in the northeast, which includes Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, West Bengal, and Sikkim.
With inputs from agencies
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