Mumbai Braces for More Rain as Monsoon Exposes BMC Claims; Fresh Downpour Likely in Delhi Too

New Delhi: Pleasant weather is in store for the residents of Mumbai and Delhi after heavy rains lashed the national and financial capitals of the country a day earlier.

The weatherman has predicted partly cloudy sky and very light rains or drizzle later in the day, while heavy rainfall is likely to lash isolated places in Maharashtra’s capital on Sunday.

"The minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 23.4 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal. Weather today is pleasant due to rains and thunder storm on Saturday," a MeT Department official said, adding that relative humidity recorded in the morning was 70%.

The weather office further said that rains may occur in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Sunday.

Even as Saturday’s rainfall wreaked havoc in the country, the showers have brought down temperatures, providing much-needed respite from the sweltering heat.

Delhi recorded 4.5 mm of rainfall till 8.30 pm on Saturday with 27 flights being diverted between 5pm and 6pm. Two flights were reportedly been cancelled due to bad weather in Maharashtra.

Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh received light to normal rainfall on Saturday, with incidents of rainfall storm uprooting trees and blowing off tin roofs being reported in the Himalayan state and the national capital.

According to news agency PTI, twenty-six people were killed in dust storms and lightning that struck parts of Uttar Pradesh, while two died in Mumbai and three have been killed in Kerala till now.

The Met department has issued an advisory to fishermen to not to venture into the sea and tourists have been asked to stay away from coastal areas. Mumbai police, too, advised people to follow certain precautions while driving during rains.

Meanwhile, tourists in Delhi continue to enjoy the weather as no such alert is in place here till now. Vendors and corn sellers near India Gate and Red Fort said that they made brisk business on Saturday due to the fall in temperature as visitors thronged the area to have tea, snacks and grilled maize while strolling around on a rain-splattered day.

According to the IMD forecast, six districts of Konkan region, including Mumbai, and surrounding areas could receive very heavy rainfall on Sunday and Monday.

The BMC said three teams of NDRF have been stationed at Parel, Mankhurd (for eastern suburbs) and Andheri Sports Complex (for western suburbs). They are equipped with walkie-talkies and flood rescue material.

Besides, Navy personnel will be deployed in Colaba, Worli, Ghatkopar, Trombay, Malad for flood rescue if required, the BMC release had said. However, residents and activists have slammed the civic body as they complain that despite waterlogging issues and rain-related deaths being reported every year, the "BMC never seems to be prepared".

"They continue to disappoint the residents every year with their tall claims. The BMC portrays as if they are completely prepared this time but when the monsoon hits Maharashtra waterlogged roads and traffic snarls become a feature of the city," said an angry resident.

Within 30 minutes of a fresh spell of rain, roads in several areas, including Mahim, Hindmata and Marine Drive, were flooded. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed at various junctions, including at Hindmata, which is the worst-hit.

BMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kishore Kshirsagar said that more than 3,000 civic employees were out on the streets monitoring the situation, especially in areas like Hindmata, Dharavi and Parel which received more than 100mm of rainfall, resulting in water-logging.

He said the civic administration had undertaken road repair works at 120 places, adding that there was no waterlogging on Andheri-Kurla Road, Santacruz, Oberoi Mall and Lokhandwala Circle in the suburban part of the city.