New Delhi: Relentless rain played havoc in several Maharashtra districts, as Mumbai recorded the earliest onset of monsoon in 75 years on Monday. Rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of at least six people in two states — Maharashtra and Karnataka — and many are believed to be missing. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa are also witnessing disruptions due to heavy monsoon rains.
On Monday, the southwest monsoon arrived over Mumbai, more than a fortnight before its normal date. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, this is earliest arrival of monsoon rains in the country’s financial capital in 75 years. Police reported that four people were killed by lightning strikes, while another person drowned. The IMD also upgraded its weather alert for Monday from an “orange” to a “red” warning, indicating a high probability of extremely heavy rainfall in the region.
The early monsoon onset coincided with Mumbai breaking a century-old record for May rainfall, which has now reached 295 mm. The IMD’s Colaba observatory shattered the all-time May rainfall record by registering 439 mm so far, exceeding the previous mark of 279.4 mm set in May 1918. Southern parts of the city were the worst affected, with many places getting submerged in the torrential showers. Bus and local train services were also affected due to the rains.
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Hundreds relocated to safer places
In other parts of Maharashtra, including Thane, Palghar, and the Konkan districts, roads, railway tracks, bridges, farmland, and some residential areas were flooded. Hundreds of families were relocated to safer locations.
As many as 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are deployed in the coastal districts of Konkan along with Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts in western Maharashtra. Three teams of the NDRF have been permanently stationed in Mumbai. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has issued orders to administration to be on high alert for rescue and relief work.
According to reports, lightning strikes killed three farmers — two in Ahmedpur tehsil in Latur district and one in Raigad district. In Kalyan taluka, a 16-year-old lost his life after being struck by lightning during a storm. In Ratnagiri, a 48-year-old man was swept away by floodwaters while crossing a bridge on his bicycle in Dapoli tehsil.
As many as 48 people were saved from flood waters in Solapur, Pune and Satara districts while five were rescued from the Pandav Kada waterfall near Kharghar.
Red alert in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
The Met department also sounded a red alert for heavy rainfall in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which have been crippled after intense downpours over the past 24 hours, as the monsoon arrived in the southern states much earlier than usual. According to IMD alert, extremely heavy rainfall is likely to continue in Karnataka over next 24 hours.
According to officials, a three-year-old girl was killed after a wall of her rain-drenched ancestral home caved in at about 2.30 am on Monday in Gokak town, Belagavi district. Her four-year-old sister was left severely injured in the incident.
Several areas of Mangaluru city witnessed waterlogging and traffic bottlenecks as drainage systems struggled to handle the heavy rainfall. Officials also reported incidents of landslides in hilly regions across the district.
In Kerala, heavy rainfall continued to lash at least 11 districts. The state has received 73.6 mm of rainfall in past 24 hours of the total 320 mm received so far in May. Red alert has been issued for three more days for the 11 districts affected. Orange alert has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has recorded 6.2 mm and Tamil Nadu 7.5 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours. Traffic disruptions and minor landslides have also been reported in Goa, which received 54.8 mm of rain in past 24 hours.
