Aug 5, 2020
Heaviest One-Day August Rain in 47 Years Slams Mumbai
, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- The heaviest one-day rain during August in 47 years in Mumbai, home to India’s financial markets and the central bank, inundated large parts of the mega city and disrupted businesses, with more showers likely before some relief from Thursday.
The Colaba weather station recorded 29.4 centimeters (11.6 inches) of rainfall in the 12-hour period that ended at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, the highest downpour for a single day in August since at least 1974, according to the India Meteorological Department.
“It’s not a very regular thing” to witness intense showers continuing for several days, said K.S. Hosalikar, deputy director general at the weather department’s Mumbai center. “Heavy rains will continue tonight, but there will be some relief from Thursday morning.”
Heavy showers in the city may hamper its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Mumbai is among the worst affected cities in the country, which has more than 1.8 million confirmed infections and close to 40,000 deaths.
Local trains were suspended in some areas, while buses were diverted. Uddhav Thackeray, chief minister of the state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, asked local authorities to stay alert. The municipal corporation made arrangements for temporary shelters in some schools to move people from flooded areas, it said in a Twitter post.
Disruptions due to rains, which often flood roads and low-lying areas, are a regular occurrence in Mumbai during the monsoon season, as authorities in the mega city of 18 million grapple with crumbling infrastructure.
The Santacruz weather station recorded 10.3 centimeters of rainfall by 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday. The center observed 26.9 centimeters in 24 hours ended 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 4, while Colaba got 25.2 centimeters during the period, according to the weather office.
Rains have been 1% below normal across the country since June 1, according to the weather office. About 79% of the country received normal to excess showers during the period, while rest got deficient rain, it said.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
