india

Updated: Jun 29, 2019 02:25 IST

On Friday, Mumbaiites woke up to the first spell of heavy rains this monsoon — the most delayed in the city in 10 years. However, the “very heavy rains” exposed the ill-preparedness of the city’s authorities, especially the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with waterlogging complaints pouring in through the day. In rain-related incidents, three people died of electric shocks and five got injured on Friday, while 53 tree-fall incidents were reported in ten hours.

The rains also threw public transport out of gear, with a total of 44 trains cancelled and 155 delayed on the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR). Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST) diverted its buses on 20 routes in Mumbai and Thane, while surge pricing by private cab aggregators gave commuters a tough time, compounded by traffic snarls. The rains also led to flights getting delayed and one diverted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), according to officials.

Rainfall intensity increased by the afternoon with heavy to very heavy rain in the suburbs and surrounding areas, while moderate showers continued in south Mumbai. However, from 4.30pm onwards, there was a considerable drop in intensity.

“The areas, which were flooded on Friday were bound be waterlogged as they are either the lowest point of a saucer-shaped area or are a subway. The topography has to be considered and also the BMC cannot keep vigilance at every spot,” said Vidyadhar Khandkar, the chief engineer of the stormwater drains (SWD) department.

Meanwhile, Friday’s showers paved the way for cool conditions in the city. The day temperature fell below 2 degrees Celsius both in the suburbs and south Mumbai. While Santacruz recorded 29.2 degrees Celsius as the maximum, which was 2.1 degree Celsius below normal, Colaba recorded 28.7 degrees Celsius, 2.4 degree Celsius below normal. There was a little more than 2 degrees Celsius gap between the minimum and maximum temperatures as Colaba and Santacruz both recorded 26.5 degrees Celsius, 0.6 degree Celsius above normal.

Early on Friday, in two separate incidents, three deaths and two injuries were reported from the western suburbs, according to civic officials.