Mumbai, suburbs come to a standstill after heavy rain

People’s woes were compounded by the high tide that prevented natural drainage of water into the sea. Meteorological department sources said Mumbai recorded copious rain of 65 mm in just three hours. 

Vehicles were stranded on arterial roads that were under knee to waist deep water for several hours, many having broken down. Trains were running late or stopped on all three suburban railway lines – Central, North and Harbour line – as tracks were submerged at several places. Having waited for hours on end with water showing no signs of receding, fidgety passengers were seen jumping off stationary trains and walking along the tracks.

Commuters were seen standing under knee-deep water on the steps of buses in low-lying areas. Traffic crawled at a snail’s pace on major roads, including the Eastern and Western Express Highway, Sion-Panvel highway and LBS Marg. 

“The metropolis has received heavy rainfall since last night. Between 8.30 am and 12 pm, the city received 85 mm rainfall,” Sudhir Naik, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, said.