A “severe weather warning” has been issued for the next five days by the regional meteorological department in Mumbai on Monday. Chief Minister Uddhav has asked the state administration to stay alert for emergencies in the wake of the heavy rain forecast in Mumbai and the coastal areas of the state in the next four or five days. In a tweet the Chief Minister’s Office said, “…The treatment of patients (COVID-19) must not be affected and, if needed, shift citizens from vulnerable establishments to safer places.” Raigad and Ratnagiri are expected to get very heavy rainfall and the Met department has issued an ‘Orange’ alert for the two coastal districts.
The Regional Meteorological Centre tweeted: “Severe weather warnings over the region during next five days. Increase in rainfall activity expected over Konkan and adjoining ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra from June 10.
” The weather office also warned of “thunderstroms with lightning, gusty winds and moderate to intense spells of rain over Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ahmednagar, Pune, Beed, Jalna,Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded, Aurangabad and Latur on Monday.”
People living in low-lying areas, old buildings and landslide-prone areas should also be moved to safer places, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray told the state administration. He asked guardian ministers to call meetings of district disaster management authorities and discuss the matter. “There is a forecast of heavy rain from June 9 to 12 in Mumbai Metropolian Region and Konkan region…prepare yourself for any eventuality,” Mr Thackeray was quoted by news agency Press Trust of India as saying.
The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into the central Arabian Sea, covering several parts of the country, including the entire northeastern region, most parts of Maharashtra, entire Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Surjitt Sahani
