Mumbai | Mumbaikars woke up to overcast skies and strong winds on Tuesday, with no significant rainfall recorded in the morning, offering a temporary respite after two days of intense downpours that disrupted normal life.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert, forecasting heavy rain and gusty winds in the metropolis, officials said.
All government, private and civic-run schools and colleges in Mumbai will remain closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure, officials said.
Relentless rain brought Mumbai and neighbouring districts to a near standstill on Monday. Many roads were submerged, trees were uprooted, and several incidents of wall and billboard collapses were reported.
The Virar-Vasai section in the neighbouring Palghar district had been inundated since Monday morning, though the water level gradually receded after the intensity of rainfall reduced by evening.
The first local train departed from Virar for Churchgate in south Mumbai at 3.57 am on Tuesday, a Western Railway spokesperson said.
According to commuters, Western Railway's suburban services were running 20 to 25 minutes behind schedule, while Central Railway's local trains were delayed by 10 to 15 minutes.
Metro services and buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking were functioning normally.
The IMD has forecast intermittent spells of rain in Mumbai and suburbs on Tuesday, with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely at isolated places, civic officials said.
Occasional gusty winds reaching speeds of 60-70 kmph are also very likely, prompting authorities to advise people to exercise caution, they said.
The 'orange' alert issued by the IMD indicates that people should be prepared for extremely bad weather that can cause significant disruptions, transport delays, and power outages, an official said. It is at the third level in a four-stage colour system, placed above yellow and below red.
An average rainfall of 46 mm was recorded in the island city during the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Tuesday, while the eastern and western suburbs received 77 mm and 78 mm, respectively, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The next high tide of 3.93 metres is expected at 4.34 pm on Tuesday, while another high tide of 3.41 metres is forecast at 5.43 am on Wednesday. The low tides are expected at 11.02 pm on Tuesday and 11.07 am on Wednesday, the BMC said.
Traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway's 'Missing Link' bypass section resumed on Monday night after remaining shut for more than 18 hours following a landslide triggered by overnight heavy rains, officials said.
A senior official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) told PTI that traffic resumed at 10.10 pm after safety inspections were completed at the landslide-hit site.
The Mumbai-bound carriageway had been closed after a landslide near the exit of Tunnel 2, the longest tunnel on the Missing Link – which cuts through the Sahyadri mountains -- at around 4 am on Monday.
Four persons, including three members of a family, were killed in a landslide and wall collapse, while two others were swept away in separate rain-related incidents as heavy showers battered Pune district on Monday, prompting authorities to rescue or shift more than 500 people to safer places.
Heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides across the district, including one in Patan village in Maval tehsil that claimed the lives of three members of a family, officials said.
Lonavala, a popular hill station located in Pune district, recorded a whopping 670 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 7 am on Monday, as per official data.
Pune district witnessed landslides at 22 places over the last two days, according to officials