Mumbai: The city experienced cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and gusty winds on Saturday morning. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts that this cloudy weather will continue, with moderate rain showers expected in both the city and its suburbs throughout the afternoon and evening.

Today’s Weather Update

Mumbai’s temperatures today range from a minimum of 25°C to a maximum of 31°C, averaging around 30°C. Moderate rain is anticipated to persist throughout the day, with winds blowing steadily from the westerly direction at 11.1 km/h. The sun rose at 6:14 am and will set around 7:17 pm.

Weather For The Coming Days

Looking ahead, the minimum temperature is expected to slightly rise to 26°C from Sunday to Tuesday. The IMD forecasts a slight drop to 25°C on Wednesday and Thursday. Minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 25-26°C, with maximum temperatures ranging between 30-31°C.

Rain Forecast For Coming Days

Cloudy skies and moderate to occasional heavy rains are forecast for the upcoming week in Mumbai. Heavy rains and thundershowers have lashed the city in the past couple of weeks. Due to the continuous rains, temperatures have notably decreased, and the Air Quality Index (AQI) has improved, falling within the ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’ categories.

AQI Remains In Satisfactory Category

Mumbai’s AQI for PM10 particles is currently at 58, classified as ‘satisfactory.’ According to SAFAR-India, AQI values between zero and 50 are considered ‘good,’ while values between 50 and 100 are ‘satisfactory.’ Caution is advised for AQI levels between 100 and 200, classified as ‘moderate.’

Navi Mumbai: On Saturday at around 4.30 am, the residents of Shahbaaz village in CBD Belapur woke up to the sound of a building collapse after a G plus three-storeyed building collapsed. A total of 52 people ran outside the building when they realised about the collapse, two were pulled out alive and two were feared trapped inside.

Statement Of A Survivor

“At around 3.45 am, I got a call from the lady who stays below my flat saying that there is a crack in the building. She did not have everyone’s number but I had so I called everyone. We all ran out without taking anything in our hands. By 4.30 am the building collapsed. Yesterday someone told me that something at the salon on the ground floor was cracking. I assumed that some work would be going on. We all would have died if I would had not got the call. The owner of the house used to get the maintenance done as and when required but we never thought it was in bad condition,” Zoya Deshmukh, a survivor said.

Details Revealed By Fire Officer Purushottam Jadhav

Fire Officer Purushottam Jadhav said, “We got a call at around 4.50 am at CBD Belapur fire station about the collapse in Shahbaaz village. When we reached here, we found that there were two people who were stuck in the debris. They were identified as Saif Ali and Ruksar Khatun, who were pulled out alive. Mohamamd Siraj along with one more is feared stuck. Right now, there are fire officials and staff from Vashi, CBD Belapur, and Nerul fire brigade consisting of 70 people along with the NDRF team at the spot.”

Another survivor Satish Gond said, “The column had visible cracks since two days but we were staying as no one knew the consequences. We are workers, we do not know anything and we continued staying. Since last night small noises started coming of wall cracking, tile breaking and there was fear among us. A total of around 50 people stayed in 17 flats and the two shops that the building had.”

Official Statement Of Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner, Kailash Shinde

Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Kailash Shinde who reached the spot at around 6 am, said, “Little before 5 am, the collapse happened at sector 19 in Shabaaz village. A total of 39 people and 13 children came out just before the collapse. The rescued people have been sent to rescue shelter. The building is just 10-year-old and we would be investigating why it collapsed in such a short period.”

Mumbai: The BMC has issued show cause notices to 13 sub-engineers and fined road contractors Rs 50.53 lakh for failing to maintain roads adequately.

Heavy rains had hindered the sub-engineers’ efforts to repair potholes. Consequently, the civic authorities directed contractors to deploy additional manpower and work night shifts to address potholes promptly once the rain subsides.

Potholes Created Due To Heavy Rains

Recent heavy downpour have created potholes and disrupted traffic, causing inconvenience to commuters. To address this, the civic body appointed 227 engineers and 18 contractors, instructing them to fill potholes within 24 hours of detection. However, the contractors failed to meet this deadline.

The BMC imposed fines totaling Rs 28.30 lakh on pothole contractors, Rs 20.45 lakh on project contractors, and Rs 1.18 lakh on contractors under the defect liability period, covering the period between June 1 and July 25.

Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects), noted that Mumbai recorded unusually heavy rainfall recently, with over 300 mm in a single day on July 8, and above-average rainfall throughout July. He said that accumulated water erodes asphalt roads, leading to potholes if not promptly addressed. The 227 subengineers have been instructed to conduct daily inspections, and contractors have been warned of stricter punitive measures if negligence continues.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Engineers Union (BMEU) objected to the notices sent to sub-engineers and urged civic commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to address the technical challenges faced on the ground.