Mumbai: As the city of Mumbai and suburban areas continue to face intense weather, significant rainfall overnight has led airlines and the Mumbai Police to issue urgent travel alerts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has released red nowcast alerts for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad districts, predicting heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds.

More than 100 mm of rainfall was noted at the Colaba observatory, resulting in water accumulation, road closures, and warnings for coastal and low-lying regions. An orange alert has been raised from yellow, indicating continuous rain.

Airlines, such as IndiGo, are informing travelers to anticipate delays and verify flight statuses, especially since roads leading to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport are impacted by waterlogged conditions.

The Mumbai Traffic Police have changed routes because of flooding; key subways and underpasses, such as the Andheri subway, are shut down, leading to significant traffic jams in affected regions.

Authorities have additionally urged residents to steer clear of coastal and low-lying regions, reminding them to contact emergency services if necessary. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has informed about the top 10 places in Mumbai with the record of highest rainfall from September 15 from midnight to 8 AM.

Pali Chimbai, Bandra saw 176 mm, recording maximum rain while Worli Fire Station recorded 170 mm, and Adarsh Nagar in Worli was at 168 mm. Ari Tank in Bandra recorded 158 mm of rainfall while Bandra Fire Station and Frosberry Reservoir recorded 167 mm.

Dadar Fire Station recorded 160 mm, Colaba Fire Station had 159 mm rain. The lowest rainfall in Mumbai was recorded in Khar Danda, Pali Hill and A Ward Office at 148 mm and 137 mm, respectively.

Apart from Mumbai, Pune is also facing challenging weather conditions, leading to delays in flights and problems with visibility. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Pune, predicting comparable thunderstorms and increasing rainfall, with certain regions of Maharashtra, such as Raigad and Satara, being monitored.

Travellers are advised to prepare in advance, stay updated on travel information, steer clear of identified danger zones, and stay inside until conditions get better.

Thane: A portion of the gallery at a chawl collapsed in Maharashtra’s Thane district, trapping 10 persons, officials said on Monday.

The incident took place around 10.30 pm on Sunday, they said, adding the trapped persons were later rescued and all 40 flats in the chawl (row tenement) were vacated as a precautionary measure.

A part of the gallery slab on the first floor of the Sanjay Mhatre Chawl collapsed in Diva area, Thane Municipal Corporation’s disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said.

Ten persons were trapped in three flats on the first floor and the fire brigade personnel later rescued them, he said.

The single-storey chawl, estimated to be 15 to 20 years old, is not listed as a dangerous building, he said.

Given the precarious condition of the structure, further safety measures were taken.

There are a total of 40 flats in the chawl and they were vacated as a precautionary measure. Around 35 to 40 residents have been advised to temporarily shift to their relatives’ house until further inspection and repairs, the official said.

Mumbai: In yet another disruption, the Mumbai Monorail came to a halt midway on Monday morning due to a technical glitch, raising questions about emergency preparedness after the fire brigade allegedly arrived late for the rescue operation.

The incident occurred around 7 am near Mukundrao Ambedkar Road junction when a train travelling from Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk to Chembur stopped with 17 passengers onboard. 

According to fire brigade officials present at the site, the monorail’s technical team had already evacuated all passengers safely by the time the rescue team arrived. The halted rake was later moved to Wadala through coupling.

Sources, however, claimed that the fire brigade reached the spot by over half an hour late. In a similar incident earlier, the Mumbai Fire Brigade rescue team reached by nearly an hour late, leaving most of the evacuation work to the monorail staff. Two monorail were stuck the then wherein hundreds of passengers were rescued.

The repeated delays by fire brigade team have raised concerns over in case of a serious accident.

During such disruptions, emergency batteries keep air-conditioning and lights running inside the monorail coaches. But prolonged evacuation efforts risk exhausting the backup system, causing passengers to face breathing discomfort and lack of ventilation, same was complained by commuters in Monday’s (today) and earlier incident.

Officials said that newly procured monorail rakes equipped with advanced technology are still undergoing safety tests so to integrate with the existing system. 

The monorail, spanning 17 km between Chembur and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk, currently runs 118 trips daily at 18-minute intervals. However, its ridership remains modest—about 16,000 on weekdays and just 10,000 on weekends.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has ordered 10 new rakes from Medha Servo Rail Pvt. Ltd. at a cost of Rs 58.9 crore each, with some already under trial runs.