Maharashtra rains: Holiday declared for schools and colleges in Mumbai; IMD predicts heavy rainfall in Pune for next 5 days

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that Maharashtra will continue to be under the grip of a vigorous monsoon till the middle of this week with “heavy to extremely heavy” showers over Pune, parts of Konkan and Vidarbha till 8 August, as reported by  The Indian Express. IMD has alerted Pune, Satara, Nashik, Kolhapur, Palghar and Thane districts with heavy rain expected till Thursday (8 August). The rainfall recordeD on Sunday in various cities was — Mahabaleshwar (135 mm), Nashik (98 mm), Satara (29 mm), Ratnagiri (22 mm), Sangli (21 mm), Mumbai and Kolhapur (19 mm each), Pune (12.9 mm) and Jalgaon (13 mm) Officials at the IMD stated that there were at least three weather systems that were causing such heightened rainfall in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, a message posted on social media by the Maharashtra chief minister’s office on Sunday night states, “Due to the IMD warning for tomorrow (5 August, Monday), holiday declared for schools and colleges in Mumbai and MMR, Palghar, Thane, Raigad districts.” The IMD had said that the “rainfall intensity is very likely to continue for the next 24 hours in Mumbai and decrease thereafter over Konkan and adjoining ghat areas of central Maharashtra during next two days.” The South Central Railway on Monday morning cancelled at least 18 trains running through Maharashtra due to heavy rainfall in the state. On Sunday night, at least 12 trains were cancelled, with many being diverted or shortly-terminated or re-scheduled.

Bulletin No.7 Cancellation of Trains due to Heavy Rains and Water Logging in Mumbai. @RailMinIndia @PiyushGoyalOffc @PiyushGoyal @Central_Railway pic.twitter.com/DWNFr4jCZr

— South Central Railway (@SCRailwayIndia) August 5, 2019

Owing to boulders falling on railway tracks, the Central Railways cancelled 18 trains, diverted three services and short-terminated seven long-distance trains at various points. A similar situation was witnessed by Pune as it received heavy rainfall on Sunday. The IMD on late Sunday evening predicted “moderate to heavy rains” in isolated parts of Pune city for the next five days and “heavy to very heavy rains” for the district’s ghat regions in the same period. Low-lying areas in the district were on alert after water was released into the Mutha river on Sunday following incessant rains in the catchment areas of dams supplying water to the city. Later in the day, the district collector Naval Kishore Ram said orders had been issued to keep educational institutions here and Pimpri Chinchwad shut on Monday in view of the rains. He said Mula, Mutha, Pavana, Bhima and Nira rivers were in spate and there was a possibility of more water being released from the adjoining dams as catchment areas continued to get heavy rain as on Sunday evening. Later in the day, district collector Naval Kishore Ram said orders had been issued to keep educational institutions in Pimpri Chinchwad shut on Monday in view of the rains. He said Mula, Mutha, Pavana, Bhima and Nira rivers were in spate and there was a possibility of more water being released from the adjoining dams as catchment areas continued to get heavy rain as on Sunday evening. “Several areas are already inundated and more are likely to be affected as water is released from the dam,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_7049981” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Sunday. PTI[/caption] “As far as Pune is concerned, especially the ghat areas, there is a heavy to very heavy rain warning for the next five days. For Pune city, there is moderate to heavy rain warning in isolated areas. Tomorrow onwards, for Pune city, light to moderate rain is expected over next two to three days,” said Anupam Kashyap, head, weather department, IMD. Meanwhile, at least four persons died in rain-related incidents in Mumbai, Pune and Palghar districts while a man is missing after he fell into a swollen nullah in Dharavi in Central Mumbai on Sunday afternoon. While a 52-year-old woman and her 26-year-old son were killed after they suffered an electric shock when they touched the door of their water-logged house in suburban Santa Cruz, a 10-year-old boy died and his younger sister injured after a wall of their house collapsed in Lonavala in Pune district, police said. In Palghar, a 16-year-old boy drowned after he was swept away in flood in Vikaramgadh taluka on Sunday morning, a district official said. In suburban Goregaon, four persons, including two children, were injured when boulders loosened by the wet soil fell on six vacant houses, police said, adding 50 residents of the area were shifted to safer places after the incident. Sunday also witnessed at least two rescue operations by the Indian Air Force (IAF) with Mi 17 choppers. In the one of the operations, at least 58 people, including 16 children, stranded at Ju-Nandkhuri village in Khadavli area in Thane district were rescued from their water-logged homes. In Mumbai, at least 400 people from a residential area near the Mithi river were evacuated on Sunday after its water level crossed the danger mark following heavy rains, officials said. With inputs from PTI