Mumbai rains: Red alert issued for heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, educational institutes to remain open

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Mumbai throughout the day. The alert was issued as the city braces for another day of traffic congestions, waterlogging and disruptions in public travel due to the downpour. 

Incessant rain over the last 24 hours wreaked havoc in several parts of Maharashtra, where at least six persons died and 12 were injured in rain-related incidents while several houses in low-lying areas were inundated, prompting hundreds of people being evacuated to safety zones as a flood-like situation prevailed. 

On Thursday, several areas of Mumbai recorded more than 100 mm of rainfall between 4 am and 1 pm on Thursday, with Andheri's Malpa Dongri area recording the highest rainfall of 157 mm during this period. Powai's Paspoli received 155 mm rainfall and Dindoshi 154 mm. 

While the Mumbai Police sounded a warning in the entire city for heavy rain on July 26, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on July 25 evening said that the weather and rainfall in Mumbai are normal, and the educational institutes will function normal today. 

“Parents are humbly requested not to believe any other information or rumors regarding school and college holidays and to rely only on official information from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The civic administration urges citizens to stay in touch with the management of the concerned schools and colleges for more information,” the civic body said in a post on X (formally Twitter). 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that isolated, extremely heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Konkan & Goa and Madhya Maharashtra for the next two days, with conditions expected to ease gradually thereafter. 

Pune battered by heavy rains

Meanwhile, heavy rains battered Pune city where at least four persons died in rain-related incidents on July 25, while low-lying areas were inundated. The weather department has issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy downpours for today and the city is expected to witness heavy to very heavy rains till July 29. 

Owing to incessant rain, the district administration has announced the closure of all schools and colleges in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad today.  Several residential areas in Pune's Pimpri-Chinchwad have been flooded while four people died in rain-related incidents in the district.

Army personnel have been roped in to help the local administration to speed up the relief operations. Around 400 people have been evacuated so far. Two columns of the Army were deployed in the Sinhagad Road area, which was severely affected by flooding, officials said. Besides, teams of the NDRF, fire brigade as well as the district and city disaster management cells were pressed into service to carry out relief operations.

On July 25, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited flood-affected areas in Ekta Nagar and Vitthal Nagar of Pune city to take stock of the situation.  

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took to X and said that water discharge from Koyna dam in Satara and Khadakwasla dam in Pune was expected to increase due to incessant rains in the catchment areas and instructed the officials concerned to take necessary action. In his post, he also added that the state government was in touch with its counterpart in Karnataka on the Almatti Dam there so that flooding in Sangli and parts of Kolhapur can be avoided.