Weather: Mumbai Expects Thunderstorm, Heavy Rains; NDRF Deployed Amid Flood Like Situations In Baramati, Indapur

A day after issuing orange alerts and yellow alerts for places across the state of Maharashtra, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said the financial capital is expected to receive thunderstorms coupled with intense spell of rains again.

"Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai during next 3-4 hours. Take precautions while moving out", IMD posted on X.

On Sunday, IMD issued an orange alert for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Konkan along with Satara and Pune districts and their ghat areas including Kolhapur district in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, incessant downpour lashed Baramati and Indapur tehsils in Pune on Sunday, resulting in a flood-like situation in several areas. The severity of the situation prompted the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to deploy specialised teams to deal with the adverse condition.

IMD Issues Alert For Maharahstra & Konkan

IMD on Sunday issued an alert for parts of Konkan and western Maharashtra for the next few days, warning of `extremely heavy to very heavy' rainfall.

While the monsoon has arrived in southern Maharashtra, Mumbai and Konkan are receiving pre-monsoon showers.

In its forecast released in the afternoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert (which denotes `be prepared for relief action') for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Konkan along with Satara and Pune districts and their ghat (hilly) areas including Kolhapur district.

The orange alert for Raigad is valid for only May 25 and 26, but for Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts and Ghat areas of Satara, Kolhapur and Pune, the alert will be valid for five days.

"Heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds up to 50-60 kmph at isolated places" were very likely, the IMD said.

It also sounded `yellow alert' which indicates a "warning" and "take action" advice for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and several other districts of Maharashtra. Heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds up to 50-60 kmph are predicted in these districts.

Flood-Like Situation In Baramati, Indapur

On Sunday, Baramati tehsil witnessed a flood-like situation after receiving 83.6 millimetres of rain during the day, while the figure was 35.7 mm for Indapur, as per PTI.

Commenting on the situation, Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill told PTI that a stretch of the Pune-Solapur highway near Indapur remained closed for about two hours due to waterlogging but traffic resumed after the water receded.

Rainwater entered several homes in 70 villages in Indapur, as well as 150 homes in Baramati, forcing local authorities to immediately shift residents to safety, police and district officials said.

"In response to an urgent requisition from the district collector, the NDRF deployed two specialized teams to conduct rescue and relief operations in Baramati and Indapur. In Baramati, 19 homes suffered partial damage. In Katewadi, a family of seven stranded in their waterlogged home was rescued by locals and officials. In Jalochi village, one Rupesh Singh, stranded in a stream after his motorcycle was swept away, was rescued by the fire brigade," an official said.

Citing an official released by the NDRF, PTI reported, "The deployment was necessitated due to a breach in water canals, which resulted in severe inundation of multiple low-lying residential areas. Rising water levels in Kara river (Baramati) and Neera river (Indapur) further exacerbated the risk, triggering urgent evacuation concerns. Initially, seven people were reported trapped in Baramati, and two in Indapur." "Both NDRF teams were mobilized from the unit headquarters in the evening. They comprise trained personnel, including divers equipped with deep diving sets, flood water rescue (FWR) gear and medical first response (MFR) equipment. The teams were dispatched to Baramati and Indapur for immediate response. All stranded people have been rescued," it added.

In a message on X, Baramati Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule requested the state's higher education ministry to postpone exams of various departments scheduled on Monday due to heavy rains in the district.

"There has been continuous rainfall in Pune district and its adjacent areas for the last three to four days. This has led to a flood-like situation in many areas. Students may face difficulties who are appearing for the engineering department and other exams to be held tomorrow. I humbly request the Minister of Higher and Technical Education Chandrakantdada Patil that he should consider postponing all the exams scheduled to be held tomorrow considering the interest of the students," she said in her post.