Maharashtra: The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a warning of very heavy rainfall in isolated places on Thursday in areas of Raigad and Ratnagiri until Friday morning.
Meanwhile, as per the forecast, areas of Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, and Sindhudurg can expect heavy to very heavy rainfall until Friday morning.
Considering the warning issued, all schools and colleges falling under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) area have been declared a holiday for Friday.
BMC has also appealed to all teachers to inform the concerned guardians and take necessary precautions while leaving the school along with proper coordination at the school level.
Additionally, the BMC has also requested all citizens to avoid stepping out if not necessary and has asked them to cooperate.
Rainfall recorded during the past 24 hours until 8:30 a.m. today was 44 mm in Mumbai city, 90 mm in the Eastern suburbs, and 89 mm in the Western suburbs.
Earlier today, as the state continues to face the effects of continuous rainfall, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took stock of the situation in the state.CM called the Raigad collector and told him to help all flood-affected people and he assured him of all the help.
Traffic has been halted at Tamhini Ghat on the Raigad-Pune route following debris from a landslide as a result of the heavy rains. According to Raigad Police, "Traffic is stopped at Tamhini Ghat in the Raigad-Pune route due to a landslide. Traffic will be stopped for the next few hours until the debris is cleared."
Shinde said that water is still there on the roads and in the houses in Pune. He also said that the District Collector, Municipal Commissioner, and Police Commissioner have been put on alert.
"There is water on the roads and in the houses of people in Pune. There is a lot of rain at Khadakwasla Dam and in the catchment area. The District Collector, Municipal Commissioner, and Police Commissioner are on alert," he said.
Further, he said that teams of NDRF and SDRF have been deployed and army and airlifting teams have also been kept on alert. "Teams of NDRF and SDRF are deployed there. I have spoken to the Army to keep their teams on alert. Preparations have also been made for airlifting operations if needed."
Shinde appealed to the people and asked them to cooperate with the administration to move to safer places. He also said that an orange alert had been sounded in Mumbai for the next three hours.
"I appeal to the people to cooperate with the administration to move to safer places. In Mumbai, an 'orange' alert has been sounded for the next 3 hours.
I have spoken to the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner to take all measures. 222 water pumps are working to drain excess water in different areas," he said. (with Agency inputs)
