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- Over 300 mm of rain lashes city in early hours of Monday
- Residents urged to stay indoors as emergency services go on high alert
NEW DELHI: India’s financial capital of Mumbai was inundated on Monday by heavy rain that flooded roads and railway lines, disrupted flights, and forced schools and colleges to close.
Following a deadly heatwave, India is now facing monsoon storms, with intense rainfall causing flooding across the country.
In Mumbai, more than 300 mm of rain lashed the city of 12 million from the early hours of Monday until 7 a.m., the city’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said in a statement.
“Heavy rain is expected (the rest of the day) as well. In this background … all the municipal, government and private media schools and colleges in the Mumbai metropolis are declaring a holiday,” BMC said.
Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra state where Mumbai is located, took to X to urge citizens to stay home.
“Citizens should go out only if necessary … Life has been disrupted in Mumbai due to heavy rains everywhere … I have directed all emergency agencies to be on high alert,” he wrote.
At least 20 flights at the Mumbai international airport were canceled on Monday, authorities said, while an advisory also urged passengers to “check on the status of their flights” before beginning their journey.
The heavy downpour came days after record-breaking rainfall in New Delhi brought down a roof at the city's main airport, killing one person.
Scores of Mumbai residents were unable to reach their workplaces because of the storm.
“When I stepped out to reach the office, the streets were flooded,” Sreeji Raj, a resident of the coastal city, told Arab News.
“I managed to reach the local station to catch the local train. There I learnt that most of the trains have been disrupted and delayed due to the rain and there was chaos at the station.”
Benny Antony, another Mumbai local, said he stayed indoors and worked from home on Monday because his office area was flooded.
“Life got disrupted in Mumbai today,” he said. “Almost everyone got impacted directly and indirectly … Life has gone haywire in the city.”