Mumbaikars race home before floodgates open at the Cinderella hour

All of Mumbai was in a race to get home before the Cinderella hour last night, as the authorities issued warnings that the midnight high tide could pose a risk in combination with the heavy to very heavy rainfall predicted for the next 24 hours

It was the same old sorry story - wading through water logged roads, honking in bumper-to-bumper traffic and suffering an excruciatingly long wait for trains, as seen here at Bandra station. Pic/Tanvi Phondekar

All of Mumbai was in a race to get home before the Cinderella hour last night, as the authorities issued warnings that the midnight high tide could pose a risk in combination with the heavy to very heavy rainfall predicted for the next 24 hours in isolated parts of the city.

It turned out to be another terrible Tuesday for Mumbai, as citizens rushed home in the pouring rain in the evening. Pic/Atul Kamble

As of 8 pm, Colaba had received 142 mm rainfall and Santacruz 136.5 mm. Water logging was reported in several low-lying areas, especially in Andheri, Vakola and Bhandup.

Commuters have it hard
Low visibility also led to delays in flights. Four flights were diverted to other airports. Traffic was thrown out of gear, while trains were also running late. Matters were made worse for commuters because of the flash strike called by Ola and Uber drivers. The strike was suspended at 8 pm, but surge pricing drove cab tariffs up to eye-watering amounts.

No water logging: BMC
Civic officials said that they had been cleaning drains along the road since last morning to ensure that the water would be flushed out quickly.

The BMC also pressed 100-odd dewatering pumps into service across the city.

A senior civic official said, "There was no major water logging noticed as all the dewatering pumps were started immediately. Further, as the high tide was expected at night, around 11.46 pm, there was no serious situation in the city till evening. All our employees are on the job"

Schools may shut
The School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA) has directed all bus operators in Mumbai to not ferry children to school on September 20, if the heavy rains continue. The final call will be taken at 5 am today by SBOA.

34
Number of tree fall complaints

8
No. of partial house collapses reported

2
No. of houses destroyed in a Bhandup landslide

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