Mumbai rain updates: ‘Had to wade through waist-deep water with bike’

Commuters had to walk home from railway stations due to lack of transport. Pics/Hanif Patel

The heavy downpour on Wednesday evening disrupted life in Mumbai and surrounding areas. The situation, particularly in Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara, was dire for commuters. There were no auto-rickshaws at the auto stands near railway stations, as drivers refused to navigate the heavily flooded roads. After alighting at stations, commuters had to walk kilometres to reach their homes. Most roads lacked proper streetlights or were dimly lit, exacerbating the situation.

Nalasopara-based Tahir Khan, who works in Andheri, left for his home at 6 pm but reached home around 2 am on Thursday. Khan said, "I generally reach home by 9.30 pm. On Wednesday, there was a huge traffic jam on the Western Eastern Highway (WEH)." "I reached Fountain Junction around 9.15 pm and my motorcycle broke down. There was no mechanic around and the roads were heavily flooded," he added. Khan then had to wade through the flooded road wheeling his motorcycle along. He said, "I had no choice but to cover the remaining distance of 23 km on foot. By the time I reached home, I was soaked and completely exhausted."

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No lighting on streets

"I was scared as the stretch did not have a single streetlamp and I was dragging my bike along in waist-deep water," recalled Khan, adding that there were many others like him who were dragging their motorcycles along. Women, too, were navigating the flooded roads on foot." "Cars were also breaking down. At least we could wheel our motorcycles, but car owners were helpless," he said. On Thursday, Khan had to shell out Rs 2,200 to get his motorcycle repaired. "Had the civic body taken care of our city, we would not have faced this difficulty," he lamented.

A media professional, Anisha Srivastava left her office around 8.20 pm to board a Dahanu-bound train. She had to go to Kelwe Road but her train got delayed due to heavy rain. "The train halted at many stations for an unusual amount of time. Passengers started to get down and walk between the tracks for nearly 1 km to reach Nalasopara station," said Srivastava.

"I then decided to stay with a friend in Virar. But, there was no auto-rickshaw outside the station and all the roads were heavily waterlogged. It was a terrible experience and reached my friend's home around 1 am. The roads were either poorly lit or had no street lamps. It felt like I was walking in a jungle," she added.

A group of three to four young boys had gone to Marine Drive from Virar for a day of fun. But, at Virar they had to wade through flooded roads. Most of them had to remove their expensive footwear and walk barefoot on the waterlogged roads risking their lives. "There was a very long queue of passengers to board the auto-rickshaw. So, I preferred walking home. There were no street lights, making the situation worse for me," said Rohit Raj, a student at Virar.

Requesting anonymity, a female commuter said, "The municipal corporation and other bodies concerned must look at the safety of women. Most of the stretches are dimly lit, making it very scary for women." "We had no other choice than to follow others ahead of us on flooded roads. The residents of Vasai taluka have been paying taxes, but where is our tax money going? Is the state government listening to us?" wondered another female commuter, requesting anonymity.

Bedridden man's ordeal

Meanwhile, a bedridden octogenarian's house in Nalasopara got flooded and the rainwater seeped into his bedroom. "This was really difficult for everyone at home because my father has been completely bedridden for many years after paralysis attack," said Raj Dasoni, who lives in Vasant Nagri, Vasai. "I called fire brigade officials to help us relocate my elderly parents from Nalasopara to Vasai, but none of them could help us," Dasoni alleged. "The situation was really horrible due to the careless attitude of the civic body."

Official Speak

The tahsildar of Vasai Taluka Avinash Koshti said, "The average rainfall in Vasai taluka on Wednesday night was 143 mm, which is alarmingly high. And it aggravated after midnight." "50 mm of rainfall is considered as a rainy day but it was 143 mm on average on Wednesday night in Vasai taluka. The average reading of 143-mm has been taken out of the readings at 10 cycles in the taluka," Kosti said.

"We take the readings at 10 circles in Vasai Taluka including Agashi (151 mm), Nirmal (157 mm), Manikpur (174 mm), Vasai (211 mm), Kaman (198 mm), Tulinj (112 mm) and others," Kosti added. The revenue officials are ascertaining the damages due to the incessant rainfall in Vasai taluka. "The talathi has been asked to check the damages so that victims can be compensated," he said.