Red alert issued for Mumbai and neighboring districts after heavy rains batter region

A ‘red alert’ has been issued for Mumbai and the neighboring districts of Thane and Raigad, as heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected in isolated areas till the morning of July 26.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued the alert on July 25 as heavy rainfall continues to hit Mumbai. There is a strong possibility of gusty winds reaching speeds of 50-60 kmph along with heavy rainfall, the weather department said.

Meanwhile, the temperatures are expected to range between a maximum of 29 degrees Celsius and a minimum of about 24 degrees Celsius.

Continuous heavy rainfall in Mumbai has severely disrupted daily life and hindered flight operations. Major airlines have issued advisories to passengers.

"Flights to and from Mumbai may get affected due to heavy rains. Guests are advised to start early for the airport, as slow traffic and waterlogging may delay movement," the advisory alerted. “Please check flight status before heading to the airport," it added.

Airlines like IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet have alerted flyers as flights are delayed, with some getting canceled amid Mumbai rain.

"We are relentlessly working to ensure smooth operations and expect these delays to significantly reduce once the weather improves," said the low-cost carrier IndiGo.

Air India and SpiceJet issued similar alerts to their passengers about potential disruptions.
Flight operations were briefly disrupted because of poor visibility due to heavy rainfall and gusty winds on the morning of July 25.

“Since early today, I have been reviewing the ongoing heavy rain and flood situation in various districts of Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Kolhapur and Sangli from my office," Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said.

“The disaster management system of all the districts and the concerned officials of the district administration has been instructed to provide the necessary assistance to the people as soon as possible without any delay in the rescue and relief work,” he added.

He requested the people of Maharashtra to step out of their homes only if necessary and be vigilant while traveling.

Heavy rainfall in the metropolitan city caused Vehar Lake, one of the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai, to overflow. Additionally, the Andheri subway was also closed for vehicular traffic because of waterlogging. Local trains are also operating at reduced speeds due to low visibility and high winds.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took stock of the situation and said preparations are in place for potential airlifting operations and urged residents to cooperate with authorities and move to safer locations.

“Work is being done to open the Andheri subway which is closed right now. I appeal to Mumbaikars not to venture outside, if not required," he added.