Monsoon finally lashes Mumbai, Maharashtra

Mumbai, July 2 (IANS) Heavy rain lashed Mumbai and large parts of coastal and western Maharashtra Wednesday, providing welcome relief from the extended summer here.

Though delayed by over three weeks - the normal date for onset of monsoon is June 10 - the steady downpour resulted in water-logging in low-lying areas and created disruptions in road and rail traffic within the city and outside.

Traffic came to a halt or crawled at some sections on the S.V. Road in the western suburbs and L.B.S. Marg in the eastern suburbs. Suburban trains on Western Railway, Central Railway and Harbour Line ran into delays.

There were traffic snarls on some sections of the Eastern Express Highway as also Western Express Highway, which slice the city vertically.

Heavy rain was reported from Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Ahmednagar and Satara districts in the coastal and western parts of the state.

Mumbaikars' favourite hill stations like Lonavala, Matheran, Panchagani and Mahabaleshwar were also soaked by the heavy rain, further cooling the constantly high temperatures of then past three months.

By noon, Mumbai recorded a healthy 105 mm rainfall, raising hopes of postponement of the proposed water cuts planned by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

Rainfall has also been reported in the catchment areas of various lakes in Thane and Mumbai which supply drinking water to the western megapolis.