Mumbai faces waterlogging and traffic disruptions as heavy rain hits

Mumbai: Mumbai encountered its first heavy rainfall of the monsoon season which led to waterlogging in several areas.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported retrieving a 165-litre refrigerator, a cupboard, rubber pipes, and other waste from a drain near the Andheri subway. Consequently, the subway had to be closed for traffic on Saturday due to heavy downpours, and the accumulated rainwater had to be pumped out. Over the past 24 hours, Mumbai and its suburbs experienced intense rainfall, resulting in waterlogging affecting the movement of vehicles on some roads. Malad and Andheri also saw exacerbated situations.

Both Delhi and Mumbai were simultaneously engulfed by the monsoon.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Colaba observatory in Mumbai recorded 86 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, while the Santa Cruz weather station in the suburbs registered 176.1 mm of rainfall during the same period. An IMD official stated that Mumbai is expected to receive more showers throughout the day.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the newly implemented system to prevent flooding in the city was functioning effectively. However, opposition parties criticised the Chief Minister, accusing him of making false promises and engaging in mere photo opportunities.

Shinde reviewed the performance of an underground water tank installed at the Milan subway to prevent flooding and expressed satisfaction with its effectiveness. The Milan subway, Hindmata, and a few other locations in Mumbai are prone to waterlogging during the monsoon season, prompting the BMC to construct underground water tanks in these areas.

During his review, Shinde stated, "I personally came to review the situation at the Milan subway, and the new system has proved that it works. Despite such excessive rain, the Milan subway remained open for vehicular movement." He also instructed BMC officials to take measures to prevent waterlogging and disruptions to traffic during rainy periods.

Varsha Gaikwad, Mumbai Congress president, criticised the civic administration and the state government led by Shinde, asserting that their claims of monsoon preparedness were proven false by the initial rains. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray shared a report in which Shinde reportedly suggested that people should welcome the rains instead of complaining about waterlogging.

Thackeray wrote on Twitter, saying, "If shamelessness, incompetence, and corruption had a face... It's disgraceful for him to rebuke Mumbaikars for complaining about waterlogging and the collapse of civic machinery yesterday. All his false promises, photo ops in Mumbai hold zero value." He also criticised the lack of political and administrative leadership in addressing the concerns of Mumbaikars and questioned the absence of the Municipal Commissioner/Administrator during the recent events. He also expressed concern about the governance of Mumbai falling into the hands of those who seek to exploit it.