Mumbai (Maharashtra), July 5: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday said 142 incidents of trees or branches falling were reported across Mumbai as gusty winds of 72-75 kmph accompanied heavy rainfall, while Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide directed the entire civic administration to remain on high alert on Monday in view of the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecast of continued heavy rain.
The civic body said around 150-170 mm of rainfall was recorded across different parts of Greater Mumbai in the last 24 hours. Despite the heavy showers and a high tide of 4.19 metres recorded at 3.22 pm, normal life remained largely unaffected, with no reports of waterlogging in the city or suburbs and suburban railway services continuing without disruption.
As per the BMC statement, the IMD had issued a Red Alert for Greater Mumbai on Sunday, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide monitored the evolving situation from the BMC's emergency control room and instructed all circle deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and other concerned officials to remain present either in their offices or in their respective operational areas.
The commissioner also directed deputy commissioners to certify the presence of officers and staff in the field to ensure preparedness for any emergency.
"The entire system of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is on alert and officers and staff are working in the field to deal with any emergency situation. All department heads, engineers, pump operators, health workers as well as emergency response teams have been deployed at various locations," the BMC said in a statement.
According to the civic body, nearly 10,000 officials and employees from various departments have been deployed across Mumbai, including during the weekend, to continuously monitor the situation and undertake emergency response measures.
The BMC said Mumbai city recorded an average rainfall of 153 mm during the 24-hour period between 5 pm on July 4 and 5 pm on July 5, while the eastern suburbs received 121 mm and the western suburbs recorded 93 mm.
It said pre-monsoon preparedness measures helped minimise disruptions during the heavy rainfall. The Parks Department surveyed 1,62,676 trees, pruned more than 1.03 lakh trees and removed 648 trees identified as dangerous before the onset of the monsoon.
The Emergency Management Department received 276 complaints related to fallen trees or branches on Sunday. Of these, 142 were confirmed cases of tree or branch falls, which were attended to promptly, with priority given to clearing roads and restoring traffic movement.
The civic body said two people died in separate tree-related incidents during the day. Yunus Kundawala (63) was killed after a tree branch fell on his shop near the Gomes Town building in Kurla Kamani, while an 18-year-old youth lost his life after a tree fell in the Unit 13 area of Aarey Colony.
The BMC also said a vacant three-storey structure on Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Road near Worli Dairy collapsed during the day. However, no casualties were reported in the building collapse, it added.
