MUMBAI: Heavy rain continued to batter Mumbai and neighbouring districts on Wednesday, triggering a minor landslide at Malshej Ghat, inundating low-lying areas and prompting weather alerts across the region.A minor landslide was reported on Tuesday evening on the Malshej Ghat stretch connecting Thane and Pune districts. The incident occurred between the “wash point” and “umbrella point” between 6 pm and 7 pm, officials said.Earth-moving machinery was deployed immediately and debris was cleared without affecting traffic movement. No casualties were reported.In Thane district, authorities received 27 complaints over the last 24 hours, including 18 incidents of trees or branches falling and four fire-related calls. A tree fell on two parked cars in the Charai area of Thane city on Wednesday morning, damaging both vehicles. No injuries were reported.Thane city recorded 77.97 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Wednesday, taking the season’s cumulative rainfall to 81.26 mm.The Bhatsa dam in Shahapur taluka received 20 mm rainfall during the period. Officials said the dam’s water level stood at 108.79 metres, with useful water storage at 29.22% of capacity. No water discharge has been initiated so far.Meanwhile, overnight downpours led to widespread waterlogging in parts of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for Mumbai and adjoining districts, warning of moderate to intense spells of rain. Mumbai, its suburbs and Palghar are under a red alert for the day, while Thane remains under an orange alert.The Andheri subway was closed for vehicular traffic after it was flooded due to incessant rain. Civic officials said efforts were on to prevent motorists from entering the inundated underpass.According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai city recorded an average rainfall of 56 mm between 8 am and 11 pm on June 23. The eastern suburbs received 23 mm rainfall, while the western suburbs recorded 33 mm.Several locations in the western suburbs recorded intense spells of rain late on Tuesday night, including Kandivali, Malad, Juhu, Santacruz and surrounding areas.Despite the heavy rain, suburban train services, including those on the Harbour Line and Churchgate-Dahanu corridor, continued to operate normally on Wednesday morning, Western Railway said.The BMC said all subways, except the Andheri underpass, remained open and railway traffic across the city was running normally.Authorities are closely monitoring the situation as heavy rainfall is expected to continue along Maharashtra’s west coast over the next few days.
