Day after rain mayhem, some relief to Mumbaikars; harbour line trains back on track

Mumbai: Intermittent showers lashed Mumbai overnight and the rain intensity reduced on Wednesday morning, putting life back on track, a day after heavy rains battered the city. Local train services on the Central Railway's harbour line resumed from 3 am Wednesday after 15 hours of disruption, bringing relief for commuters, while schools and colleges also opened a day after rain-enforced holiday. All public transport services in Mumbai, including local trains, resumed normal operations on Wednesday morning, a day after the torrential rains crippled normal life, officials said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert of heavy rains for Mumbai for Wednesday, and predicted the intensity of rainfall in the metropolis will go down from Thursday. Mumbai's Santacruz observatory, representative of the western suburbs, recorded 200 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Wednesday, as per the IMD data. "The Colaba observatory in south Mumbai received 107.4 mm rain, whereas the Santacruz observatory in the western suburbs reported 209 mm during the 24-hour period," an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Other areas in the metropolis also witnessed intense showers. Vikhroli received 229.5 mm rain, Mumbai airport 208 mm, Byculla 193.5 mm, Juhu 150 mm and Bandra 137.5 mm of rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday morning. The metropolis received an average rainfall of more than 100 mm in the 22-hour period ending at 6 am on Wednesday, civic officials said. The island city recorded an average downpour of 131.51 mm, eastern suburbs 159.66 mm and the western suburbs 150.60 mm, they said. On Tuesday evening, 782 passengers were rescued after two overcrowded Monorail trains on elevated tracks got stuck between stations in Mumbai on a day of torrential rains. Some of the panic-stricken commuters were even ready to put their life at risk by jumping off the Monorail trains, which got stuck on elevated tracks after heavy rains in Mumbai, but were safely rescued later. As a precautionary step, the fire brigade spread sheets on the ground in case any passenger jumped to escape the ordeal, but that situation did not arise, an official involved in the rescue operation said.

Rescue teams broke open windows and forced the train doors open to evacuate passengers, he said. Local train services on the Central Railway's (CR) harbour line resumed early on Wednesday as water receded on tracks, more than 15 hours after Mumbai's lifeline was halted as rains pounded the metropolis. Suburban services on the CR's main line, between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai and Thane stations, were restored on Tuesday evening after remaining suspended for eight hours. Trains were currently operational on all the CR lines, a spokesperson said. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in a statement on Wednesday morning, said local train services on the central, western and harbour lines, and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking's bus services were operating smoothly. The BMC stated its entire machinery was on the ground and working round-the-clock to monitor the situation and respond swiftly in case of any emergencies. "All departments are on alert and prepared to take necessary measures if required," the statement said. The BMC also appealed to the people not to believe in rumours and urged them to contact the municipal emergency control room for verified information or assistance during emergencies on its helpline number 1916.