Mumbai records its wettest July. What to expect in August

The monsoon has shifted its focus on the country’s financial capital, Mumbai. Mumbai is inundated with rain. Suburban areas such as Andheri subway and the area close to it are water-logged following heavy rains. Ambulances are reported to be stuck at Bandra near Lilavati Hospital. Heavy water-logging has also been recorded at the BKC flyover on the Western Express Highway (northbound). Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Wednesday. And Mumbaikars see no relief from the rain in the coming days. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai has had its wettest July ever on Wednesday, with the month so far receiving a record 1,557.8 mm rainfall. The previous wettest July on record was in 2020 when 1,502 mm rainfall was logged by the IMD’s Santacruz observatory (representative of Mumbai’s suburbs). “From 1 July to 26 July, 2023 morning 0830 hours (8.30 am), Santacruz (observatory) had recorded 1,433 mm. So today, this record for wettest July has been broken at 2030 (8.30 pm) on 26 July, 2023, with the Santacruz observatory recording a total of 1557.8 mm so far,” the IMD said. Incessant heavy rains in Mumbai prompted the weather office to upgrade the ‘orange’ alert to ‘red’ with effect from Wednesday night till Thursday afternoon. The red alert, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places, is valid from 8 pm on Wednesday till 27 July afternoon and covers Mumbai city and suburban areas. Schools closed; traffic halted Due to heavy rains, the University of Mumbai has cancelled all exams scheduled for Thursday across the city. [caption id=“attachment_12921182” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Pedestrians holding umbrellas walk amid monsoon rains at a market, in Mumbai. PTI[/caption] On Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also declared a holiday for all government and private educational institutions on Thursday in view of the warning of heavy rainfall. “…considering the safety of the students, Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal has declared a holiday for all primary, secondary and higher secondary schools and colleges of Mumbai Metropolis on Thursday 27 July 2023,” the BMC said on Wednesday. Heavy rain also interrupted railway services in Mumbai and surrounding areas last week. Waterlogging at the Kurla station of the Harbour Line Down from Wadala to the Mankhurd segment, suburban traffic was temporarily halted as a safety preventive measure. Due to the state’s constant rainfall, Maharashtra has seen flood-like conditions in numerous areas. The high tide has issued warnings to villages near coastal areas, according to the official. Rains bring devastation The extent of recent rainfall has also caused devastation in several regions of the city. Earlier this week, Ram Baugh cooperative housing society in Andheri east reported a landslide after soil and stones from the hilly area located behind the building fell on the seven-storey tall structure, reports weather.com. [caption id=“attachment_12921192” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Workers remove a tree after it fell and damaged several vehicles following monsoon rainfall, in Mumbai. PTI[/caption] Furthermore, the gallery of a lab at People’s Welfare English High School in Mumbai’s Meghwadi neighbourhood collapsed. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the incident. Late on Monday night, a road caved in near a storm water drain late at Goregaon East in Mumbai, impacting traffic movement along Infinity Road. According to a report in TOI, a tempo that was parked on Goregaon Infinity road where the incident took place was affected and the crane was to be called to lift the vehicle. Rise in monsoon diseases Amid the heavy rains, outpatients at Mumbai hospitals have increased, and the BMC’s public health department has issued a warning about the rise in monsoon diseases. This month has seen an increase in cases of malaria, dengue fever, gastroenteritis, and leptospirosis throughout the city. According to weather.com, nearly 1,000 confirmed cases of gastroenteritis have been registered in the first two weeks of July, while the actual number could be significantly higher. During the same time period, over 350 cases of malaria and 104 cases of leptospirosis were reported. Chikungunya and H1N1 illnesses have also been reported in large numbers. Heavy to very heavy rains are forecast in the Maharashtra capital. The districts of Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Kolhapur, and Satara are predicted to get significant rainfall in the next days; orange advisories were issued in these areas between Tuesday and Friday. With input from agencies