Mumbai : As heavy rains lashed major cities, normal life was disrupted, flood situation worsened in several states on Friday as monsoon intensified.
In Mumbai, the torrential rains which continued for second consecutive day paralyzed the citys transport system. Long distant trains were cancelled. Mumbais lifeline the suburban railways (central, western and harbor) came to a standstill, road transport was disrupted, air traffic also had to bear the brunt as the two city airports recorded a low visibility of 450 meters.
On Friday, the city recorded rainfall of 36.5 mm in the island city, 59.2 mm in the suburbs. While the authorities issued high alert during the day, the met department forecasted for next 24 hours there would be frequent rains accompanied by strong winds.
Several schools and colleges were closed. South Mumbai also came to a standstill.
The weather bureau has predicted incessant rainfall in Konkan, Goa, Central Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada regions for the next 48 hours.
The waterlogged tracks at Valsad disrupted rail traffic between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
In Gujrat, Valsad received the highest rainfall in the state with 18 inches, while Jamnagar in Saurashtra region received nine inches of rain in the last 12 hours.
