Water logging up to half metre was reported in Bandra, Sion, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Andheri and several low lying areas. Besides, landslides in the Mumbai-Pune expressway disrupted the vehicular traffic. Rail services were badly affected with the Central Railway services coming to a complete halt due to water logging between Kurla and Vidyavihar suburbs. However, trains on the Western and Harbour lines are running late by 15 to 20 minutes, according to railway sources.

Traffic snarls were also reported across various junctions in the city with several low lying areas inundated by water, police said. Flights from the international airports were delayed by an hour and a half, according to the Mumbai International Airport report. This is the second spell that the city has received this season. Last year too, the city and its suburbs got paralysed due to incessant rains.

Sudden heavy rainfall in the suburb of Mumbai is noticed several times, moreover the level of natural ground of Mumbai is very low and the drainage system of city is poor. The solid waste disposal management need special attention to allow the drain maintenance. Flooded areas of land usually start off as very dry land. Floods are caused by heavy rains that pour to much water into rivers and other waterways making these natural channels unable to carry all the water. Rising water flows over or breaks the banks to the waterways causing the surrounding land to be flooded. Different causes of floods can come from masses of snow melting of tidal waves. The type of land that is prone to flooding are broad and flat usually situated on the banks of a river or main waterway. Rivers that flood are regarded in three different stages. They are:-1) Water comes off the mountains, eroding the beds and banks of the river as it flows.2) This type river travels through broad valleys which slows the current of the river down. If the current is slow it will transport less material down the river.3)Flood-plain stage. Little if not any erosion takes place most of the material that is carried in the current is suspended and deposited to the form a flood plain

Dr Visal A Khan