Mumbai, Sep 21: Incessant rains across Mumbai claimed as many as six lives and injured several on Wednesday. Two deaths each have been reported from Ratnagiri, Raigad and Palghar. As the ceaseless rains continued for the second day in the Mumbai city, the main runway at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) remained closed for at least 13 hours, leaving secondary runways for operations.
Over 160 flights were cancelled on Wednesday and the train services remain affected due to waterlogging at railway tracks. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was also issued to alert flights of potential hazards that could affect the safety of flights. Six International flights were diverted from Mumbai to Delhi as the main runway at Mumbai airport was closed.
The MeT department has predicted more rainfall in Ratnagiri, Raigad, and Palghar for next few days. IMD officials said Sangli and Satara and other parts of western Maharashtra are likely to receive heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours. Anticipating more rains, a high alert has been issued in many parts of the state such as Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg, especially north Maharashtra.
“Heavy rains were reported in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri. The high alert was sounded for north Maharashtra,” Rajiv Nivatkar, Director, State Disaster Management Cell was quoted as saying by The Hindu. Ajay Kumar, a Scientist at IMD, on Wednesday said that the rainfall will decrease but light to moderate rain is likely to continue in Mumbai.
