Mumbai Schools, Colleges To Remain Shut Tomorrow Amid Red Alert

Mumbai: Schools and colleges in Mumbai will remain closed on Thursday, September 26 amid a red alert in the city. 

BMC Issues Advisory

The BMC, on its official handle of X, wrote, "The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Red Alert for Mumbai, till tomorrow morning 8:30 am. In view of this, all schools and colleges in Mumbai have been declared a holiday for tomorrow Thursday, 26 September 2024, in consideration of the safety of students.  The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration requests Mumbaikars to step out of homes only if required."

Flights Diverted 

Two flights including IndiGo flight 6E1052 were diverted out of Mumbai Airport to Ahmedabad and seven flights of different airlines made a go-around till 8:09 PM before getting clearance for landing due to the inclement weather in the city. 

Low-Lying Areas Inundated, Local Trains Halted

The heavy rains that returned after a long hiatus to lash Mumbai and its suburbs on Wednesday, inundated low-lying areas, stopping local trains on tracks between Kurla and Thane stations and stranding passengers even as traffic crawled on roads.

Red Alert For Mumbai

The IMD upgraded its orange alert for Mumbai city and its neighbouring districts to a red alert, valid till 8.30 am on Thursday.

Several suburbs of Mumbai have been receiving significant rain from Wednesday afternoon, with Mulund and its surroundings experiencing the heaviest rainfall, inundating low-lying areas.

Heavy showers have been lashing the island city from the evening, slowing down road traffic due to water-logging and poor visibility. Local train services were also delayed due to rains.

IMD Predicts 'Extremely' Heavy Rains, Thunderstorms With Lightning

In its latest warning, issued at 5.30 pm, IMD predicted 'extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated places' in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts.

MeT Department Issues Alerts

The Met department has issued a red alert for Palghar and an orange one for Thane, Raigad, Mumbai and Pune for September 26. An orange alert has been issued for Nashik and Dhule districts in north Maharashtra .

Significant water-logging was reported from Kurla, Chembur, Mulund, Vikhroli, Breach Candy and some other areas in Mumbai, where people can be seen wading their way through waist-level water.

Supriya Sule Offers Lift To Stranded Commuter

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule showed a submerged road in the Breach Candy area of south Mumbai through a Facebook live session. The Baramati MP also offered a lift to a person stranded outside a building.

Water-logging on tracks affected the services of local trains and express trains at some places between Kurla and Thane, leaving commuters stranded at different stations.

Thousands of Passengers Stranded in Local Trains

"Kurla railway track was inundated due to heavy rains, forcing local trains to stop on tracks between Thane and Mumbai. Thousands of passengers are stranded in these trains," a railway commuter said.

Mumbai's eastern suburbs received the highest rainfall of less than 30 mm before 6 pm on Wednesday, a Mumbai civic body official said.

As IMD issued a red alert for Mumbai, city civic commissioner Bhushan Gagrani asked all assistant commissioners to ensure that respective executive engineers stay put in ward control rooms. (with PTI inputs)