Mumbai Rains: When wishes turn into waterlogging

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The month of July is a bliss to Mumbaikars as their favourite weather arrives. Mumbai welcomes monsoon with zeal and anticipation as the famous view spots like Nariman point and Bandra band stand turn into romantic destinations. The city is filled with laughter as children turn the streets into waterparks and youngsters can have their own football arena.

Mumbai monsoon is a bliss to it's citizens, but from the past few years it has turned into a nightmare. With the highly anticipated rains comes water-logging, potholes, accidents, traffic jam and damage. This year, the city received 540 millimetres of rainfall since Sunday night which is the highest over a two-day period in the last decade. The Regional Meteorological Centre issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the city and its suburbs. Places like Bandra, Dadar, Wadala, Sion, Virar, Vasai King Circle and Palghar are already submerged in water making it difficult for people to even step out of their houses.

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Mumbai railway often called the life line of the city is also at standstill. The railway department has cancelled many local and outstation trains due to the heavy downpour. The monsoon not only affected the land life but also the air, as the main runway at Mumbai airport is shut after a SpiceJet flight overshot its mark while landing amid heavy rainfall at around 11.45 pm on Monday. The plane, a Boeing 737-800, is still stranded at the end of the runway. A secondary runway at the airport is operational but flights are likely to be delayed. Domestic airlines have posted warnings on social media websites informing people of delays and cancellations. Air Vistara has confirmed the cancellation of ten flights in and out of Mumbai, including flights to Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.

SpiceJet and Indigo took to social media platform, Twitter and posted messages warning passengers that bad weather could affect departures and arrivals. Both airlines have asked passengers to check for delays and cancellations of flights before leaving for the airport. The Western Express Highway which leads to Mumbai airport was also flooded, making it difficult for people running to catch their flights reach the airport on time.

As per the prediction, from the private weather agency Skymet, the city of dreams is at "serious risk of flooding" between July 3 and 5, warning that "close to 200 mm or more rain per day is likely during this period. This year the Mumbai monsoon also surprised the Maharashtra government forcing them to declare a public holiday today in Mumbai as a precautionary measure following the incessant rain. The city wishes and prays for the monsoon, but this year the wishes turned into chaos and waterlog putting the city on stand by.

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Although the monsoon has arrived late in Mumbai, it has left several parts of the city completely submerged under water. The BMC declared that in wake of the extremely heavy rainfall forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department, the Government of Maharashtra has declared a public holiday on July 2 as a precautionary measure for Mumbai city. Watch the full video below

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