mumbai

Updated: Aug 29, 2017 00:39 IST

After heavy rain lashed most parts of the suburbs over the weekend, within a span of nine hours, south Mumbai on Monday recorded its highest rainfall this year.

Between 8.30am and 5.30pm, the Colaba weather station, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 124.6 mm of rain, but the Santacruz weather station, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, received only 33.2 mm of rain. The second highest rainful in South Mumbai was recorded between June 12 and on June 13 (24 hours). The previous highest nine-hour rainfall was 63.4mm on June 25.

Between 8.30am on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday, both Santacruz and Colaba recorded 60mm of rainfall.

Under the weather department’s classification, 15.6mm to 64.4mm of rain is considered ‘moderate’, 64.5mm to 115.5mm ‘heavy’, 115.6mm to 204.4mm ‘very heavy’, and more than 204.5mm ‘extreme’.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said part of north Konkan, including Mumbai, will receive very heavy to extremely heavy rain until Wednesday. “Our weather models have shown that Mumbai and surrounding areas can expect almost 200mm of rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head, weather forecasting services, IMD. “Owing to various factors, the entire Konkan coast can expect very heavy to extremely heavy rain.”

He added that Vidarbha, Marathwada, central Maharashtra, south Gujarat and south Konkan can expect heavy rain.

Heavy rain over the weekend and through the day on Monday helped Mumbai surpass its August average rainfall. The city recorded 550.7mm rain till 5.30pm on Monday compared to 529.7mm received in the same period last year.

Mumbai is just 314.5mm short of its annual average rainfall of 2,258 mm.

While night temperatures in the city and suburbs were close to the normal mark, the day temperature at Colaba was 28 degrees Celsius, almost 2 degree below normal.

The maximum temperature at Santacruz was 28.7 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degree Celsius below normal.

Expect bumpier rides, train delays over next 2 days

Heavy rain over the past two days caused water-logging at several location in the city, complained citizens and corporators. Commuters were also hassled as locals, including that of Western Railway, were running with a delay of 10-15 minutes. With weathermen predicting heavy to very heavy rain over the next two days, train disruptions and inundation are likely to get worse. Officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that they did not receive any no water-logging complaints on Monday.

Sion, Matunga, Parel, Wadala, Andheri and Ghatkopar witnessed water-logging on Monday, citizens said.

Nikhil Desai, a resident of Matunga, said, “For three days, there has been water-logging at Gandhi market despite six pumps in operation. Vehicles were stuck in traffic. The only excuse the BMC can give is that the area is shaped like a saucer which is why it is prone to water-logging.”

Explaining why the BMC has not received any complaints, Ravi Raja, a Congress corporator from Antop Hill, said people had got used to the phenomenon.

James John, an activist from Andheri, said that commuters had a bumpy ride on Andheri-Sahar Road and parts of the Western Express Highway owing to water-logging. A saving grace among the chaos is that the lakes supplying water to the city are 96.26% full.

Navi Mumbai gets moderate rainfall in three days

Navi Mumbai received moderate rainfall in the past three days.

It recorded 46.30mm of rain on Saturday, 58.55 mm on

Sunday and 14.07 mm on Monday. Rainfall between 15.6mm and 64.4mm is considered moderate.

Between 8.30 am on Sunday and 8.30 am on Monday, Nerul received the highest rainfall at 77.4 mm, followed by Belapur (72.6 mm), Vashi (45 mm) and Airoli (39.2 mm).

Rainfall in Airoli and Vashi was pegged at 8.2mm and 6.3 mm.

Navi Mumbai witnessed an unprecedented water crisis last year as the water level in Morbe dam was insufficient.

Now, the dam, the only source of drinking water in Navi Mumbai, is almost full, said an official of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on condition of anonymity.

The catchment area of Morbe dam received 36 mm of rainfall. “The height of the dam is 88 meters. The dam is almost full now and the NMMC has started releasing water from it,” said the official.

The NMMC has deployed officials who are at ready to help people in rain-related incidents.

The city reported two tree falls and a short circuit case on Saturday and Sunday. But no one was injured in these accidents.

Meanwhile, rain has failed to affect devotees.

“There was incessant rain in the first half of Saturday and people faced trouble during darshan. In the evening too, rain made a comeback. But that could not resist people from pandal hopping,” said a senior officer from the NMMC’s disaster management cell.

Two children step out to play, drown in Panvel river

Two children from New Panvel drowned in Gadi river near Panvel on Sunday. While rescue teams fished out one body on Monday morning, the other is yet to be traced.

According to the police, Mayank Patil, 3, and Prathamesh Adsul, 6, lived in the same building at Sukhapur. They had gone out to play in the afternoon, but did not return home in the evening. So their families approached the police.

“No one saw the children slipping into the river; therefore, we had registered a kidnapping case under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code,” said an officer from Khandeshwar police station.

In the evening, a few local residents said that they had seen two kids playing near the river. “We then suspected that they might have fallen into the river and informed fire brigade officials to search for them,” the officer said.

Around 11am on Monday, the rescue teams found Patil’s body in the river around a kilometer from the spot.

“Patil’s body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem was conducted in a rural hospital at Panvel. We have registered a accidental death case,” the officer said.