Mumbai basks in rain surplus

Heavy Showers Take This Season’s Total Rainfall To 127%, Ensuring Brimming Lakes And Lower Electricity Bills

    Heavy showers struck Mumbai on Sunday and Monday, causing severe water logging in some areas, slowing traffic in others, and taking the season’s total rainfall in the city to 127%. The rains also caused instances of house and wall collapses across the city.
    According to the meteorological department, Colaba has already received 134% of the season’s total rainfall, while Santa Cruz has recorded 116%. The BMC’s 35 weather stations, however, show the city has so far received 109% of the total rainfall. Last year, the city had received only 62% of the season’s total rainfall by August end.
    The generous rain gods on Monday created water logging of one to two feet in several parts of the eastern and western suburbs, forcing the BMC to operate its pumps. In the morning, the civic body used as many as 95 water pumps; the number went down to 60 by late afternoon and to 42 towards the evening.
    Water logging was reported in areas such as GR Mhatre road near the Juhu crematorium, Juhu Tara Road, Marol naka, Saki naka, Andheri and Dahisar subways, parts of Kalina and Kurla, Hindmata and Parel. The Andheri subway was shut for two hours in the afternoon and was thrown open again only after the water receded.
    Between 8.30 am on Sunday and 8.30 pm on Monday, Colaba recorded 108 mm of rainfall while Santa Cruz recorded 201.7 mm. During the same period, the island city received a total rainfall of 57.4 mm; the eastern suburbs received 113.5 mm; and the western suburbs got 99.8 mm rainfall.
    “Although it rained a lot, there wasn’t much disturbance in the city. In fact, this year, we have had quite a few spells of heavy showers, but they haven’t really disrupted the city as much as in previous years,’’ said Mahesh Narvekar, chief officer of the civic disaster management cell.
    Meanwhile, a landslide was reported in Bhandup and instances of house and wall collapses were recorded in different parts of the city: A wall caved in at BIT chawl in Bhendi Bazaar; a shop collapsed at Nishaan Pada road in Dongri; and a portion of a building fell at Sharif Devji street in Chakala. In the eastern suburbs, similar cases were recorded at Shell Colony, Chembur, Surya Nagar, Vikhroli, LBS Marg, Kurla, Khindipada, Bhandup, Haji Karamat Ali Road, Kurla (E), and Varsha Nagar Society, Vikhroli.
    “There were no major injuries at any of the sites,’’ said a government official.