At least seven people were killed as heavy overnight rains pounded the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) and the coastal Konkan belt of Maharashtra on Tuesday.
The road and rail services were paralysed in the financial capital of Mumbai, which recorded over 200 mm ran fall from midnight till morning.
According to weathermen, similar weather conditions would prevail on Wednesday and Thursday.
At Owala in Ghodbunder Road in Thane, a 15-year-old died of electrocution, while a woman was drowned in Ghansoli in the satellite township of Navi Mumbai.
In Mumbai’s Santacruz area, four people fell in nullah after a retaining wall collapsed. The body of a one-and-a-half-year old girl was recovered by firemen, while three persons were reported missing and have swept away in flood waters.
Reports reaching here from Ratnagiri said that one person died of drowning.
As heavy rains lashed MMR, the Maharashtra government declared public holiday in Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban twin districts – and asked people to stay indoors.
In Mumbai, a landslide along the Western Express Highway in Kandivli has slowed down the movement on the arterial road, while traffic moved in snail’s pace in the Eastern Express Highway.
Heavy waterlogging was witnessed in chronic spots of Sion, Hindmata, King’s Circle, Dadar, Postal Colony, Andheri and Malad subways, Jogesghwari, Dahisar.
Maharashtra’s tourism minister Aditya Thackeray and Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar together inspected the situation in central parts of the city.
The rivers including Mithi, Oshiwara, Poisar and Dahisar are flowing in full force and people in slums alongside have been asked to exercise precautions.
The catchment areas and dense forests in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary and Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary too received heavy rainfall.
The bus services in Mumbai and its suburbs was affected because of waterlogging.
The Central Railway and Western Railway suburban services too were badly affected.
Several services have been suspended and outstation trains are being rescheduled.
There was, however, not much impact on people at large, as majority of them are working from home, because of the Covid-19 pandemic driven lockdown.
People involved in essential services are facing difficulties.
“Mumbai and around rain updates at 7.45 am on 4 th Aug Colaba 220, Santacruz 254, Ram Mandir 152, Mira Road 152, Mahalaxmi 172, Vidyavihar 159 mm. Most of the stations in Thane and NM reported more than 150 mm . Trend to continue for next 48 hrs RED ALERT IS ON FOR MUMBAI, THANE..,” tweeted KS Hosalikar, deputy director general of meteorology, IMD.