The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: Mumbai and surrounding areas experienced heavy rainfall overnight, causing widespread waterlogging and disruption of suburban train services. The downpour, which began around 1 am and continued until 7 am on Monday (July 8), led to chaos in various parts of the city, The Hindu reported.
According to officials, low-lying areas were the worst affected, with waterlogging reported in several areas. The Central Railway routes were severely hit, with local train services coming to a standstill. Various roads in Mumbai were also waterlogged, making commute a challenge for residents, the report added.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a statement warning of heavy rain on July 8, urging citizens to take necessary precautions. The civic body’s disaster management department reported that suburban services on both the Central Railway corridors resumed operation at 6.45 am, after being suspended due to waterlogging of tracks on both the Main and Harbour corridors.
“Train services are affected at Sion and between Bhandup and Nahur stations. Rainwater was above the tracks, so trains were stopped for nearly one hour. Now water has receded a bit, so trains are restarting but services are still affected,” Central Railway Public Relations Officer (CRPO) said in a statement, Business Standard reported.
Similarly, Western Railways mentioned on X that “trains are running upto 10 minutes late”.
Due to the rains, the flight operations are also disrupted in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in the state capital. Indigo and Vistara have issued statements on X.
The schools were also shut in Mumbai on July 8. “In order to avoid inconvenience to students, a holiday for the first session is declared for all BMC, Government and Private schools and colleges in Mumbai (BMC area). The decision for the next session will be announced after reviewing the situation,” the BMC said, Live Mint reported.
As per the civic body, the highest rainfall in this period was recorded in Govandi area, with 315 mm of rainfall, followed by Powai area, which received 314 mm of rainfall. Other areas, including Thane, also experienced heavy rainfall, leading to waterlogging and disruption of services.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team rescued 49 people stranded due to heavy rain at two resorts in Thane. The team received a distress call around 1 am and immediately swung into action, evacuating the stranded individuals to safety, The Hindu mentioned in another report.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also forecast that Mumbai will experience moderate to heavy rainfall throughout the day on Monday, July 8, with a possibility of thunderstorms in the night. Additionally, the IMD has predicted heavy rainfall in Maharashtra for the next three to four days, with the Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada regions expected to receive heavy rainfall from July 8 to July 10, Hindustan Times reported.