Mumbai: Heavy rains affected Mumbai and coastal regions of Maharashtra on Sunday because of the monsoon’s activation. Mumbai’s local train services experienced delays, and certain flights at the airport encountered brief disruptions because of harsh weather conditions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted ongoing intense rainfall for Mumbai, its surrounding areas, and adjacent districts. A red alert has been declared for Mumbai, while Raigad received a red alert due to forecasts of heavy rainfall anticipated in the next two hours.

Travel advisories indicated that all flight operations could be impacted, encouraging passengers to verify their flight status. Rain and thunderstorms had been continuous since the previous night, although their intensity diminished in South Mumbai by the afternoon. Water accumulation was observed in various low-lying areas, affecting traffic movement on primary roads such as LBS Road in Kurla and Vakola Bridge.

Rainfall totals indicated significant accumulation: 161 mm in Wadala, 150 mm in Prabhadevi, 147 mm in Matunga, with numerous other regions recording between 100 mm and 150 mm.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation cautioned about rising sea levels, with waves possibly hitting 4.21 meters. Authorities stressed the importance of reaching out to the control room helpline for help in emergencies. With changing conditions, residents are urged to stay vigilant regarding flooding and traffic issues throughout the city.

The NMMC’s Disaster Management Cell reported five trees down due to 44.48 mm of rain in 24 hours. Belapur (52.04 mm) and Nerul (49.27 mm) were the most affected. Morbe Dam’s water level is 73.69 meters. An orange alert is issued for Thane and Raigad with heavy rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds expected. Residents are advised to ensure safety and contact emergency numbers.

IndiGo Airlines has issued a travel advisory due to a “temporary disruption” in flight schedules over Mumbai caused by heavy rainfall. Passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys as delays and slower traffic are anticipated.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rain in Mumbai and surrounding areas later in the day. From June 18 to 21, isolated heavy rains are expected in Kokan, Goa, and parts of Maharashtra, with light to moderate rainfall in Gujarat on June 16 and 17. A red alert has also led to a holiday for educational institutions in several Kerala districts today.

Pune: The impression created ahead of the assembly poll season by the Shiv Sena (UBT’s) high-profile spokesperson Sanjay Raut that his party would contest at least three, if not five seats, in Pune city and several in Pune district, has gone bust.

There is utter disappointment among the Shiv Sena (UBT) cadres in the Pune district, as it has transpired that the party has been left with just one seat in all of the Pune district which has 21 seats; NCP (Sharad Pawar) has kept 13 seats in Pune for itself while seven seats will be contested by the Congress party.

Disappointment bordering on frustration is now evident among the Shiv Sena (UBT) cadres in Pune. The fallout of this will likely be defection in the coming days. Leaders and activists from Uddhav Thackseray’s party have been vocal during Sanjay Raut’s visit to Pune and on other occasions. Anticipating that their party could get three tickets in the MVA seat-share in Pune city, they sounded upbeat; however, the excitement was short-lived.

Statement Of Shiv Sena-UBT Leader Sanjay Raut

“We have grown in Pune, since the late 1980s. We now have the capacity to contest all eight seats in Pune city, as we have the force on the ground to do so but because we have alliance partners in the MVA, we will leave some seats for them. We will contest at least three city seats if not five of the eight and many more in rural parts of the district,” party MP Sanjay Raut had said at a rally and at a media conference in Pune just a month ago.

This encouraged leaders like former Hadapsar MLA Mahadev Babar and a fresh aspirant from Kothrud, Pruthviraj Sutar, to start campaigning and put up posters and hoardings in their constituencies.

“Both Babar and Sutar visited Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai and were made to wait for hours before they got a hearing for less than five minutes. Both were disappointed about their meeting with our leader and they have not been given a party ticket,” said an insider.

About The Lone Seat

Now, it has transpired that Shiv Sena (UBT) has been given just the lone Kothrud constituency seat, which is considered a BJP stronghold. In the 2019 polls Congress, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and Raj Thackeray’s MNS had jointly fielded candidate Kishore Shinde in Kothrud, but he lost to BJP’s Chandrakant Patil. Shiv Sena (UBT) has decided to field Chandrakant Mokate as their candidate in Kothrud. Though the 2024 election is likely to be close, it is generally believed that the Kothrud seat may go to the BJP, as the MVA does not seem to be fully united in this constituency and does not have a formidable candidate. In such a case, it looks like Uddhav Thackeray’s party will have virtually no presence in the entire Pune city and district after the results are out.

Sharad Pawar’s NCP, which always cultivated Pune as its bastion, has not left any space for Uddhav Thackeray’s party in the district. This unexpected windfall has net Congress the Colaba seat, which was previously being eyed by Shiv Sena (UBT), to take on Speaker Rahul Narvekar, whose pro-BJP verdict had caused much din. In behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the Congress has swapped Kolhapur’s candidate with Madhurima Raje and introduced Hira Dewasi against Narvekar in Colaba, signaling the party’s subtle exercise of clout. With 103 seats allocated to the Congress, only Borivali and Mulund remain undecided in Mumbai.

Heavy rains continued to lash Mumbai on Thursday (July 25). Trains were running late on Central, Western and harbour lines of Mumbai locals. However, by 9 am at least, there was no stoppage of services. Mumbaikars venturing out or even going to office may need to take a rain check as it continued to rain heavily through the morning.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that Mumbai city and suburbs will witness moderate to heavy rainfall and even very rainfall at isolated places. The department has said that winds of 50-60 kmph are very likely. The city and suburbs are unlikely to get a respite later as heavy rains are expected in next 48 hours. On Thursday, the temperatures are likely to be in the range of 24 degrees Celsius to 29 degrees Celsius.

Andheri Subway has been closed for traffic.

Mumbai rains: When is the high tide?

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported that in 24 hours preceding 8 am on Thursday, the city witnessed 44 mm rainfall while eastern and western suburbs had rainfall of 90 and 89 mm respectively. The high tide is expected at 2:51 pm (4.64 metres).

Mulund received more than 200 mm of rain in last 24 hours, said BMC.

Western Railway has said from its official X handle that all trains are running normally.

Central Railway did not make any official announcement from its X handle early in the morning.

Although the railways were saying that trains were running normally, social media chatter and conversations on popular train schedule apps suggested that not everything was well.

Several social media handle that track rains in Mumbai are predicting continuation of heavy rains.