Mumbai: Life in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, came to a standstill on Monday as heavy rains lashed the city in the last 24 hours leading to widespread waterlogging and disruption of suburban train services. The ongoing monsoon session of the State Legislature was also affected as proceedings of both the Houses were cancelled with several ministers and legislators returning to Mumbai, finding it difficult to reach the Vidhan Bhavan complex due to the downpour.
State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil and MLA Amol Mitkari had to walk on the railway track near Sion station as their express train got stuck due to waterlogging. The incessant rains also trapped several MLAs travelling to Mumbai by the Mahalakshmi Express, which got stuck near Ambernath station on the Central Railway due to waterlogged tracks.
Both Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad proceedings were adjourned due to several MLAs and officials unable to attend the session.
When the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha assembled at 11 am, speaker Rahul Narwekar adjourned the proceedings till 1 pm due to lack of quorum. “There is no quorum as well. I am adjourning the House till 1 pm,” he said. He noted that Mumbai recorded 300 mm of rainfall overnight and that many members of the Vidhan Sabha and ministers had not yet arrived at the Vidhan Bhavan.
When the Vidhan Sabha reconvened, Narwekar observed that the legislature staff needed to return home and several MLAs and ministers were still unable to attend the session. He finally officially adjourned the Vidhan Sabha for the day.
The Vidhan Parishad was also adjourned by the deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe. “Due to heavy rains in various parts of the state as well as in Mumbai, several legislators and state officials could not reach Mumbai to attend the session,” she said.
Mumbai recorded over 300 mm of rain at various places in six hours from 1 am to 7 am. Incessant rains severely disrupted the suburban railway services, considered as the lifeline of the city which are crucial to daily commuting. Water accumulation at various points on the Central Railway line caused the schedule of local trains to collapse. Over 30 lakh commuters use the suburban local train services in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, Palghar and Raigad every day.
Over 50 flights were cancelled and 27 were diverted to the other cities from the Mumbai airports due to the downpour. Several airlines took to X (formerly Twitter) to warn passengers and urged them to check flight status before leaving for the airport.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport said that authorities have been deployed across all terminals to support passengers and provide them with necessary assistance. “The airport is also in close contact with local authorities. We request passengers to connect with their respective airlines and check the schedule before arrival at the Airport. The safety and well-being of our passengers, employees, and partners remains our top priority,” it said in the statement.
Visuals from across the city showed people wading through waist-deep waters and traffic jams on Mumbai roads. Several areas including Andheri, Kurla, Bhandup, Kings Circle, Vile Parle and Dadar, among other locations, reported significant water logging.
“More than 300 millimeters of rain has been recorded at different places in the six-hour period from midnight yesterday to 7 am today. Heavy rains have caused waterlogging in some low-lying areas and suburban rail services have also been disrupted,” the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde chaired a cabinet meeting to take stock of the situation and also visited the control room of the BMC. The civic body announced a holiday for government and private schools and colleges under its jurisdiction.
Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force were deployed in Thane, Vasai ( Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara Ghatkopar, Kurla and Sindhudurg. The NDRF rescued 49 people from a water-logged resort in Thane and 16 villagers in Palghar. They used boats and life jackets to rescue people stranded at the resort due to flooding.
