Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to cloudy skies and scattered showers on Thursday. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cloudy skies and spells of moderate to heavy rainfall across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) today. The weather department also issued a yellow alert for today and tomorrow, September 5.

According to the forecast, the city is likely to witness light showers in the morning and afternoon, with heavier downpours expected in the evening and late night hours. The IMD attributed this increase in rainfall activity to a low-pressure belt currently active over the Bay of Bengal, which is pushing moisture-laden winds towards the western coast.

In Navi Mumbai, light rainfall is expected through the early hours, followed by moderate to heavy showers later in the day. Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli are likely to witness intense spells by evening, which could lead to water accumulation on several roads. Officials have warned commuters to plan their travel accordingly, as traffic congestion may worsen during peak hours.

In the western suburbs, including Vasai-Virar and Mira-Bhayander, moderate rain is expected through the day. However, IMD has not ruled out the possibility of heavy showers in some pockets, particularly along coastal areas.

The advisory further states that rainfall activity may remain high across Mumbai and MMR through the day, before easing between September 5 and 7. Cloudy conditions, however, will persist across the region during this period. The monsoon’s influence is likely to continue until mid-September, after which the intensity of rainfall will gradually decline, according to the weather department.

The Konkan region stays under orange alert with districts like Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg expected to see heavy rains today. The weather department has warned of very heavy showers in isolated areas.

Thane: An 88-year-old senior citizen residing in a building opposite Bal Bhavan in Ramnagar, the busiest area of Dombivli East, was cheated by a thief posing as a technician. The incident occurred on Monday evening.

The thief entered the house under the pretence of repairing the internet connection. He then asked the senior citizen to heat some water, claiming it was needed to clean a corroded laptop pin. When the elderly man went to the kitchen to boil water, the thief took advantage of the distraction and fled with cash and a wallet, stealing a total of Rs 9,000.

The victim, Bhalchandra Shridhar Walimbe, a retired resident of Sushila Society on Chiplunkar Road, has filed a complaint at the Ramnagar Police Station. According to his statement, the thief was a man around 30 years old, who rang the doorbell and claimed to be there to repair the internet. As a technician had recently visited for internet issues, Walimbe allowed him in.

Once inside, the man pretended to check the internet connection and examined a laptop, claiming the charger pin was rusted and needed cleaning. He requested hot water to clean it. While Walimbe was occupied in the kitchen, the thief opened a compartment in the house, stole Rs 9,000 kept for regular use, along with a wallet, and escaped, as reported.

When Walimbe returned with the hot water, he found the man missing. A quick search inside and outside the house revealed that the man had fled. It became evident that he was not a technician but a thief who had tricked and robbed the senior citizen. Police Sub-Inspector Waghmode from Ramnagar Police Station is currently investigating the case.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) collected more than 125 metric tonnes of garbage from Azad Maidan and its surrounding areas during the five-day-long Maratha quota protest. The agitation, led by activist Manoj Jarange, began on August 29 and ended on Tuesday after the state government accepted most of his demands.

Azad Maidan, along with nearby stretches of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and the BMC headquarters, turned into temporary campsites for thousands of protesters. Many were seen cooking, eating, sleeping, and bathing in public spaces, generating large amounts of waste including leftover food, plastic bottles, paper plates and cups.

BMC officials told PTI that four tonnes of waste were collected on the first day of the protest, followed by seven tonnes the next day. The volume jumped to 30 tonnes on both August 31 and September 1, with a peak of 57 tonnes on September 2.

BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani held a meeting with protest organisers on September 1 to coordinate sanitation efforts. Despite the high turnout, officials said cleaning was carried out without major disruption.

A total of 466 civic workers, including 438 labourers and 28 supervisors, were mobilised for the cleanliness drive. The BMC deployed three large compactors, two mini compactors, 13 sewer-cleaning vehicles, and four specialised suction and jetting machines.

To cater to sanitation needs, the civic body installed more than 350 mobile toilets at three locations near Azad Maidan, alongside 61 permanent toilet seats at Mahapalika Marg, MG Road, DN Road and near the High Court. Around 26 water tankers were also supplied.

Additionally, large quantities of cleaning material were provided, including 1,500 lifters, 400 brooms, 1,000 hand gloves, reflective jackets, rain suits and bleaching powder. Overnight, BMC teams cleared the remaining waste after protesters dispersed.

Some leftover food, donated by community members, was distributed among locals. However, significant quantities remained at the protest site late into Tuesday night, before being cleared by civic workers.