Delhi, Mumbai grapple with monsoon havoc; 11 feared trapped in Pune building collapse amid heavy rain

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Heavy monsoon rains battered large parts of the country on Wednesday, triggering flash floods and widespread disruption to rail and road traffic, with 11 people feared trapped under a collapsed garbage mound in Maharashtra's Pimpri Chinchwad and several parts of Delhi and Mumbai reeling under waterlogging. Surat in Gujarat received torrential rains, with officials saying at least nine people have died in rain-related incidents in the last few days in the district. The administration has shifted thousands of people from low-lying areas to safer locations and distributed food packets in high-rise buildings in waterlogged areas of the city. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the chief ministers of Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the situation arising from heavy rains there and assured them of all possible assistance from the Centre, officials said. The calls come after the debris collapse in Kerala's Wayanad, flash floods in Jammu's Doda, and deadly incidents and major disruptions reported from Maharashtra and Gujarat on Tuesday. The search for five missing people was still underway on Wednesday after a rain-soaked mound of excavated earth collapsed at a tunnel project site in Wayanad. Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan visited the landslide-affected area and reviewed the search operation. After a brief respite, heavy rains accompanied by thunder returned to Mumbai, delaying local train services and causing inconvenience to office-goers. Long-distance train services towards Gujarat remained disrupted in Maharashtra due to waterlogging in the Vasai-Virar section in neighbouring Palghar district and at several locations in south Gujarat. Operations on the Mumbai–Pune route were also yet to be fully restored following landslides in the Bhor Ghat section. In the national capital, incessant torrential rains left several parts of the city waterlogged and slowed down traffic. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued 'red' and 'orange' alerts, warning of thunderstorms and more rain. *** Rivers swell; traffic paralysed in parts of Maharashtra *** Several parts of Maharashtra continued to grapple with the monsoon fury as rivers swelled up, train services were disrupted, and landslides and waterlogging incidents threatened people's safety. In Pune district's Pimpri Chinchwad, a huge mound of garbage crashed onto a three-storey building, causing it to collapse. The incident occurred at Moshi, where the building was being used as an administrative office of a private company processing waste at the site on behalf of the civic body. Of the 23 people, initially believed to be trapped, 11 still remain trapped, officials said. The water level in Godavari has increased amid incessant rains in Nashik district, while landslides and road closures have also been reported. The district administration has urged people living on the banks of Godavari, Kadva and Girna rivers to shift their valuables, livestock and other material to safer places amid discharge of water from various reservoirs, including Palkhed and Nandur Madhmeshwar weir. Train services between Neral and Karjat stations in the Raigad district remained suspended for nearly an hour after the overflowing Ulhas river caused waterlogging on tracks, officials said. As many as nine Mumbai-bound flights were diverted to nearby airports due to inclement weather and low visibility at the Mumbai International Airport, sources said. All the diverted flights later returned and landed at the Mumbai airport, they said. In Mumbai, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms returned after a brief respite, delaying suburban train services by 25-30 minutes and causing waterlogging in several areas. Civic officials said Tulsi Lake, one of Mumbai's seven drinking water reservoirs, started overflowing late on Tuesday night following heavy rainfall in its catchment area, hours after nearby Vihar Lake overflowed. The IMD has forecast intermittent light to moderate rainfall in Mumbai and its suburbs. It was a flood-like situation in Surat which received 358 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning. More than 3,400 people were rescued and over 3,800 shifted from low-lying areas of the city, officials said. Nine individuals, including children, have been reported dead until Wednesday due to electrocutions tree-fall incidents and drownings, an official said. Water entered several houses, commercial complexes, and shops in Surat, submerging ground-floor commercial establishments at Poddar Arcade in Varachha. Public transportation, including city bus services, was disrupted due to waterlogging. Videos on social media showed people walking through knee-deep water. *** Rain lashes Delhi, Rajasthan; flash floods in Himachal *** Rain soaked the national capital, leaving several parts of the city waterlogged and slowing down traffic. The IMD has issued 'red' and 'orange' alerts, warning of more thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and rain in several districts. One person died and four people were rescued after a four-storey building under construction collapsed in the Rohini area amid rains in the city. Four to five people, besides the property owner's husband, are feared trapped under the debris. Several areas, including Sadar Bazar, Nasirpur, Greater Kailash, Badarpur, Teliwara, Mahavir Bazar, Swarup Nagar and Kushak Road, among others, were waterlogged. Pedestrians were seen wading through knee-high water in some places. Delhi civic bodies received at least 10 complaints of rain-related waterlogging, tree falls and electricity disruptions. Commuters faced delays on Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and National Highway-48, particularly near Dhaula Kuan, Mahipalpur and Rajokri, due to reduced visibility and waterlogging. In Gurugram, waterlogging led to large-scale disruptions, with vehicles stalled at various locations and traffic moving at a snail's pace on major routes. Traffic crawled for hours on the service lane of the Delhi-Jaipur Highway near Narsinghpur, as well as in the Basai area, at Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, Kadipur, Sector-10A, Sohna road, and other key roads in Gurugram. The southwest monsoon remained active in Rajasthan, drenching several districts, with Kota's Ramganj Mandi recording the state's highest rainfall of 10 cm and the IMD warning of more showers over the next two-three days. Flash floods triggered by rains disrupted road connectivity in some parts of Rampur subdivision of Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district as moderate rains continued to lash Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, officials said. A rise in water level following the floods damaged a temporary bridge over the Ganvi khad stream, blocking the link roads to the twin panchayats of Kyao and Kut and causing significant hardship to the local population. Videos of stranded commuters on both sides of the stream and locals making efforts to restore the path by removing the stones were circulated on social media. Rain in Uttarakhand led to landslides and its debris disrupted traffic on around 70 roads across the state. Work is underway to clear the roads, officials said. Many parts of the state received rains on Wednesday, with an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall issued at several districts, including Dehradun and Haridwar, on Thursday. In Dehradun, all government, government-aided and private schools, along with anganwadi centres will remain closed on Thursday due to the rain forecast. District magistrates have been asked to increase surveillance in sensitive areas and keep relief and rescue teams ready. PTI TEAM SKY SKY