Mumbai Braces for Downpours: Red Alerts Trigger School Shutdowns in Palghar
Mumbai and surrounding regions in Maharashtra continued to grapple with relentless monsoon fury on Monday, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) escalated warnings for severe weather across multiple districts.
The IMD declared red alerts for Nashik, Palghar, Thane, Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Raigad, and Pune, signaling overcast conditions with extremely heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong gusty winds as of 6:32 a.m. on September 29. An orange alert covered Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Bhandara, Ratnagiri, Satara, and Sindhudurg, anticipating very heavy showers, lightning strikes, and squalls persisting through the day. Meanwhile, a yellow alert—IMD’s second tier in its four-level system—applied to the remaining districts, including Gondia, Gadchiroli, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Jalna, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Osmanabad, Solapur, Sangli, and Kolhapur.
The deluge began intensifying in Mumbai since Saturday evening, with Sunday bringing sporadic intense bursts that drenched the city and its outskirts. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), certain locales saw over 50 mm of rain between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. The island city averaged 47.47 mm, while the western and eastern suburbs logged 53.61 mm and 37.92 mm, respectively, over that five-hour window. Nearby Thane and Palghar districts also endured substantial precipitation in the preceding 24 hours, prompting rescue operations in Thane’s Bhiwandi taluka, where authorities evacuated 262 individuals from 71 households.
In Palghar, the IMD’s red alert highlighted risks of heavy to very heavy rain at various spots, with potential for isolated extremely heavy falls on September 29, heightening fears of flooding and urban inundation. District Collector Manik Gursal responded by declaring a full holiday for all government and private schools, encompassing Anganwadis, Zilla Parishad institutions, municipal schools, and aided facilities. The measure prioritizes student and staff safety amid the impending storms. Officials mandated adherence from education departments and principals, directing teachers and support personnel to stay vigilant and assist in any relief efforts coordinated by local authorities.
Residents across Palghar received advisories to steer clear of non-essential outings and heed official guidance, as the IMD projects heavy rain spells in isolated areas statewide until October 3. Specific hotspots like Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded, Latur, and Kolhapur’s ghats could face additional thunderstorms and winds up to 40 kmph through Friday.
The ongoing downpours have exacted a grim toll, with five fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours: two in Ahilyanagar and one each in Nashik, Jalna, and Yavatmal, as previously detailed by Hindustan Times. In Marathwada alone, around 7,000 people have been relocated due to the crisis.