Daily News & Analysis

MUMBAI, Jul 3: Mumbai airport was crowded on Sunday, with passengers stranded as flights were delayed by the heavy rain. While the lucky few had to wait only an hour, others spent up to five hours at the domestic and international terminals, airport officials said.

Rains led to closure of the runway for 45 minutes during the morning peak hours, causing the delay. This also led to the cancellation of 10 flights by Air Deccan, Indian, and SpiceJet.

Not only the passengers, but even officials involved with guiding and controlling air traffic had a trying time. The Instrument Landing System type CAT-IA was put to rest as heavy rain reduced visibility to 50m.

Two taxiways were closed due to flooding, adding to the delay.

A crowd gathers at Worli Sea Face to experience Sunday’s downpour. But tragedy struck as a boy was swept into the sea by the rising tide

The situation is unlikely to change in the next 24 hours. The meteorological department has predicted heavy rains for Monday, so travellers, be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting at the airport.

Monsoon 2005 revisited

On Sunday, parts of the city resembled the Mumbai of 2005’s monsoon nightmare. The traffic jams, stranded vehicles, and water-logging that made last year infamously memorable for all Mumbaikars were back. And with heavy rains forecast for the next 24 hours, there seemed little hope of improvement.

The BMC tried to clear water-logging at Hindmata, Mahim junction, and King’s Circle using pumps. The subways at Malad and Andheri, Marol, Sundar Nagar in Santa Cruz, and Gilbert Hill Road were flooded.

In the east, Sheetal cinema in Kurla, Damodar Park and Kajupada in Ghatkopar (W) were flooded.

Tidal wave washes boy away at Worli Sea Face

The excitement among the crowds enjoying the rains at Worli Sea Face was dampened in the afternoon when a boy drowned. The boy, whose corpse has not been found, was sitting on the parapet when a high wave pulled him in.

At other places in the city, several people were injured by falling trees and walls. Three people were injured in a wall collapse at Tulsiwadi in Tardeo. They were admitted to the Nair hospital. There were more such incidents at LBS Road near Ghatkopar police station and Thakur village in Kandivli (East). Trees were uprooted at nine places in the city.

Travel takes a hit

Travel in the city was also affected. There was traffic congestion near the Andheri, Khar, and Milan subways due to water-logging. But, there was less traffic as it was a Sunday, and the authorities were able to divert traffic easily in the affected areas.

Bus services were mostly unaffected, though some BEST buses had to be diverted. But services on dedicated routes were restored by evening. Local trains were delayed by 15 minutes. Railway officials said there was water-logging at Sion and between Mahim and Santa Cruz.