Mumbai rains: Toll rises to 31; orange alert issued in coastal Maharashtra for five days

Thirty-one people died and several others were injured in house collapses caused by landslides following incessant overnight rains in Mumbai on Sunday. The heavy rains led to severe water-logging, and disruption of suburban train services and vehicular traffic in the financial capital, officials said. The water supply in most parts of the city has also been disrupted, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

An orange alert was issued for Mumbai and coastal Maharashtra for the next five days, as the BMC continues to shift people out of low-lying areas, and where landslides are anticipated, the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said after meeting officials.

While twenty-one people were killed after a wall collapsed on shanties in Chembur, ten people were killed in Vikhroli as some hutments collapsed.

While rescue operations by the NDRF have concluded, Thackeray said BMC staff is on duty for the next 24 hours for any concerning developments.

A 16-year-old boy died after a forest department compound wall collapsed in suburban Bhandup, an official said.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced that Rs two lakh each would be given to the kin of the deceased from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Rs. 50,000 would be given to those injured.

"Saddened by the loss of lives due to wall collapses in Chembur and Vikhroli in Mumbai. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that those who are injured have a speedy recovery," it quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as saying.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed sorrow on the loss of lives and extended condolences to the affected families.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray also expressed grief and announced Rs five lakh compensation to the next of kin of those who lost their lives, said the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). He also announced that those who have been injured will be treated for free.

"He also directed the NDRF, Municipal Corporation, fire brigade and police to coordinate rescue operations and ensure that the injured are shifted to hospitals immediately and receive proper treatment," the CMO said.  "He also directed that all the systems should be ready as the weather department has forecasted rain for today as well; rescue work should be started immediately in case of any accident and help should be provided," it further stated, adding that if the water level in the Mithi river and other big nallas rises, those living in the vicinity should be evacuated.

Meanwhile, state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray visited the site of the wall collapse in Chembur.

Water supply disrupted, says BMC

Mumbai's civic body said water supply in most of the city has been disrupted due to rainwater inundating the Bhandup Water Purification Complex.

"Efforts to restore Mumbai's water supply are being made on war footing," the BMC said and advised citizens to boil potable water before consuming it, after the supply is restored.

Local train services briefly suspended

The Western Railway and Central Railway suspended the suburban train services due to waterlogging on the tracks due to the overnight heavy downpour, railway officials said, adding the services were resumed in the morning. Many long-distance trains were terminated or regulated at various stations, officials said.

The suburban services during the pandemic are restricted to emergency services staff and government employees. Before the pandemic, both Central Railway and Western Railway used to ferry over 75 lakh commuters daily on their over 3000 suburban services.

IMD issues red alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai in the backdrop of heavy rains, a BMC official said.

Alerts by the IMD are colour-coded from green to red. A 'green' alert stands for 'no warning': no action needs to be taken by the authorities, and the forecast is of light to moderate rain. A 'red' alert stands for "warning", and asks authorities to "take action". An orange' alert indicates that the authorities are expected to be prepared.

A sudden change in climatic conditions led to Mumbai witnessing over 100 mm rainfall in six hours, the IMD said in an early morning bulletin. It also changed the rains forecast for the city from orange to red alert.

The IMD said that till 6.30 am on Sunday, Mumbai and adjoining areas received over 120 mm rainfall in the preceding 12 hours.The bulletin issued at 3 am said IMD recorded 213 mm rainfall at Santacruz, 197.5 mm at Bandra and 174 mm at Colaba in the city.

A viral video showed a two-wheeler being dragged in water in an inundated street in Chinchpokli area.

The IMD said that Mumbai would receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places. Extremely heavy rainfall means precipitation of more than 204.5 mm in 24 hours, while heavy rainfall ranges between 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm rainfall, as per the IMD.

The rain fury reminded some Mumbaikars of the 24-hour rainfall figure of 944 mm on 26 July, 2005.

With inputs from agencies