Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde on Wednesday said the city's residents should embrace the long-awaited monsoon, even as heavy overnight rain triggered widespread waterlogging, train disruptions and slow-moving traffic across the city.
"It's a great thing that the rains have come after so much waiting, Mumbaikars should enjoy it... I am at Gandhi Market, and the pumps are working here. The road is absolutely clean... The entire administration is on the ground," Tawde told ANI.
"Except the low lying areas of Andheri, there is no waterlogging in the city," she added.
The mayor's comments came as she inspected waterlogged areas and reviewed suction pump operations, with visuals showing her at Gandhi Market amid heavy rain, flanked by civic officials and police personnel.
Visuals from across Mumbai showed flooded roads and subways in King's Circle, Andheri and Everard Nagar, with a BEST bus seen wading through deep floodwater and an underpass shut to traffic after a rickshaw got stuck mid-crossing.
Railway tracks were also submerged at Dadar's Platform No. 5, while waterlogging disrupted access to Navi Mumbai's APMC Vegetable Market.
Separately, Central Railway reported that track damage on the Trans Harbour line between Turbhe and Vashi had led to the cancellation of at least 24 local trains, with services later restored at restricted speed as a precaution.
Tawde's appeal for residents to enjoy the rains follows her remarks earlier this month, when she pushed back against the perception that the entire city floods during heavy downpours.
During an inspection of the Andheri subway on June 12, she had said repeated visuals of a handful of low-lying, monsoon-sensitive locations often create a misleading impression that all of Mumbai has come to a standstill.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai, in effect for a third consecutive day, warning of continued heavy rainfall.
An earlier red alert was issued for Mumbai and Palghar at 4 am on Wednesday, valid for three hours, cautioning of thunderstorms, lightning, intense to very intense rain, and winds of 40-60 kmph.
Authorities have urged commuters to exercise caution while travelling through low-lying and flood-prone stretches of the city.
ALSO READ: Mumbai Local Train Update: 24 Trains Cancelled After Track Damage On Trans Harbour Line Amid Rains
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