Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) As the intensity of rain increased, all government and semi-government offices in Mumbai were closed on Tuesday. Private offices and establishments have been asked to instruct their employees to work from home (WFH).
“The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation area (Mumbai city and suburbs) today, Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Similarly, Mumbai is receiving continuous rainfall. Against this backdrop, except for essential services in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation area, all other government, semi-government offices as well as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) offices are being declared a holiday today by the Municipal Corporation, acting as the District Disaster Management Authority,” said BMC in a release.
“Also, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is appealing to all private offices and establishments in Mumbai Metropolitan Region to immediately instruct their employees to work from home and avoid unnecessary travel, depending on the nature of their work,” said the BMC in a release.
Further, the Mumbai Police have also appealed to the citizens to take care and avoid unnecessary travel. The Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, in a post on X, said, “Good Morning Mumbai. Hope you are adhering to the safety guidelines in wake of the heavy showers expected today. Please take care, step out only if necessary, prevent going near the shore during high tide and don’t forget, you will find us around the corner for help, in case of any emergency. Requesting the private sector to enable work from home as much as possible.”
Mumbai has been receiving heavy rain since Monday. The intensity of the rain has increased even more this morning. The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert in Mumbai, Thane and some districts of the Konkan region.
Mumbai's suburbs, including Kandivali, Borivali, Malad, Andheri, Dahisar, Goregaon, Vile Parle, Santacruz, Khar, and Bandra, have been receiving continuous rainfall. Many low-lying areas have been waterlogged. Due to this, water has accumulated in the low-lying areas of Dadar, especially in the Hindmata area. The municipality has started pumps to drain the water in Hindmata.
The suburban railway services, known as Mumbai's lifeline, have been partially disrupted due to heavy rain and waterlogging on the railway tracks from Ghatkopar to Dadar on the Central Railway, while the railway track at Matunga railway station is completely submerged.
Due to this, the schedule of Central Railway trains has completely collapsed. Currently, trains on the Central Railway are running 25 to 30 minutes late. Local trains on the Harbour Railway are also running half an hour late. The services on the Western Railway have also been affected due to rain, and the trains have been running 15 minutes late. Railway passengers have to wait for a long time on the platform for the train to arrive.
Further, local trains are running late due to technical glitches on the Central Railway line going beyond Kalyan. There has been a technical glitch between Shahad and Ambivali stations of Central Railway. Due to this, local trains coming from Kasara are running late. Local train services from Kasara, Asangaon and Titwala are also affected.
Heavy rain has lashed in Vasai, Virar and Nalasopara, resulting in waterlogging in many low-lying areas.
The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Palghar district for the day, where a holiday has been declared for all schools and colleges in Palghar district. Similar orders are for the Vasai and Virar City Municipal Corporation limits.
In the wake of heavy rain in Kalyan-Dombivli areas, the municipal administration has declared a holiday for schools as a precautionary measure. In the Nashik district, the administration has appealed to the citizens, especially those situated on the banks of the Godavari River, to remain alert.
--IANS
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