Mumbai: Flooding devastates Vasai-Virar and Mira Bhayandar; one dead

Image used for representational purpose. Pic/Ashish Raje

A heavy downpour has left Vasai-Virar and Mira Bhayandar areas waterlogged and marooned. Commuters on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway also faced difficulties due to heavy waterlogging at certain points, leading to traffic snarls.

While there were no reported casualties from Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara area on Thursday, a building that had been declared dilapidated over a decade ago by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) collapsed in Bhayandar, resulting in one person's death and four injuries.

The deceased was a shoeshiner at Bhayandar station. He was having breakfast there when he got trapped under the debris and lost his life. Initially, the civic officials believed there were no casualties, but during the debris removal, they discovered the body, as stated by Prakash Borade, the fire official.

"The building had been declared dilapidated long ago, but the owners managed to secure a stay order from the high court, preventing its demolition," Borade explained.

Sources informed mid-day that the building's occupants had already vacated the premises, but a few shops were still operational on the ground floor, adjacent to Bhayandar railway station.

Dr Anjali Patil, a medical officer at MBMC, confirmed that four people were injured in the incident and had been taken to Tembha hospital for treatment, with their conditions now stable. The deceased was identified as 45-year-old Durga Ram from Rohtas district, Bihar.

According to his room partner Subhash, Durga Ram had been living in Nalasopara for about ten years and got trapped in the debris during the Bhayandar building collapse.

In another incident, an office bus got stuck in a waterlogged road in Vasai, but all the occupants were successfully rescued by the fire officials of Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC).

Life slows down

Life in Virar and surrounding areas was also affected as residents had to wade through waterlogged roads. Locations like Evershine Road, Madhubani, Sun City, Diwanman, and Umela in Vasai experienced heavy waterlogging.

Tulinj police station

Tulinj police station in Nalasopara was flooded with rainwater, and some files got damaged due to the overflow of dirty water from the nullah flowing underneath the station. It had previously been highlighted that the police station was built on a nullah and a plot designated for a garden, with attempts to relocate it still pending. mid-day had reported about this in April.

"If the downpour continues, the ground floor will be flooded. The drain water is stinking badly. It is really very difficult to work in this atmosphere," said an officer attached to the Tulinj police station.

In such waterlogged areas, some tractor owners capitalized on the situation by ferrying office goers for a fee of Rs 50 per head since auto-rickshaws couldn't operate on the inundated roads.

While many vehicles were stranded and damaged in the flooded areas, some people were seen washing their cars and trucks on the waterlogged roads. Meanwhile, some youth were enjoying the rainwater and waterlogged roads, swimming with the help of thermocol sheets in Vasai.