Schools shut, red alert as Mumbai braces for another day of heavy rain

MUmbai and its suburbs feature been witnessing relentless rain down for the yesteryear tercet years, leading to traffic snarls, waterlogging in several parts of the city, and multiple casualties. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Tuesday, warning of the likelihood of extremely heavy rainfall. In response, authorities have ordered the closure of all schools and colleges in the city for the day.Beyond Mumbai, several regions of Maharashtra, including Ratnagiri, Raigad, and Hingoli, have also received heavy rainfall.Here are top updates on Mumbai rains-Several low-lying areas in Mumbai and its suburbs were waterlogged on Monday after the city witnessed continuous downpours, leading to severe traffic disruptions. Fallen trees in some parts of the city added to commuters’ difficulties.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced on Monday that all schools and colleges across Mumbai and its suburbs would remain closed on Tuesday, following a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).IndiGo Airlines issued a travel advisory at 6 am on Tuesday, urging passengers to leave early for the airport as several approach roads were waterlogged, resulting in sluggish traffic.Meanwhile, Virar Lake—one of the seven lakes supplying potable water to Mumbai—began overflowing at around 2:45 pm on Monday. According to the BMC, the maximum storage capacity of the lake is 27,698 million liters (276.98 crore liters).Across Maharashtra, seven people have died in rain-related incidents so far, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ office said in a post on X after he reviewed the situation with state ministers and authorities on Monday.“Heavy rainfall has occurred in Ratnagiri, Raigad, and Hingoli. The Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rainfall warning for the period from August 17 to 21. Therefore, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered authorities to remain vigilant in the coming days as well,” the post read.Mumbai also witnessed several tragic incidents on Monday. A 35-year-old watchman, Satish Tirke, working at the Godrej Baug apartments, died in a wall collapse, Hindustan Times reported.In another incident in Valmiki Nagar, a man was swept away in a drain on Monday afternoon. Search operations were launched by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the fire brigade, but he had not been found till late Monday night.In another tragic incident, a 40-year-old woman, Eulogious Selvaraj, and her seven-year-old son, Anthony, were crushed to death by a BEST bus while crossing a road after she had just picked him up from school on Monday. The woman's daughters, Selina (12) and Agesten (9), survived.Rainfall in several places in Mumbai breached the 150-mm mark on Monday. In just a little over three days, some 81 hours, Mumbai recorded a total of 550mm of rain, which is just 10mm less than the average for the entire month of August.