Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli sea link shut due to cyclone Tauktae

Movement of vehicles on Mumbai’s iconic Bandra-Worli sea link has been suspended in light of cyclone Tauktae which is currently 160 km south-southwest of the financial capital.

The decision was taken in view of the high speed winds, a senior official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
As a precautionary measure, Mumbai Monorail has suspended all the operations for a day. "This was a prompt decision taken for the safety of the commuters. We regret any inconvenience caused," Mumbai Monorail said in a tweet.
Mumbai airport has been closed from 11 am to 2 pm. One flight – a SpiceJet Chennai-Mumbai service – has been diverted to Surat.
The island city received 8.37 mm rainfall between Sunday 11 pm and Monday 7 am, while the eastern and western suburbs received 6.53 mm and 3.92 mm downpour, respectively, during the same period, according to the BMC.
Light spells of rain continued since 7 am on Monday, a BMC spokesperson said, adding that there was no water-logging anywhere in the city.
On Sunday, the weather department issued an orange alert for Mumbai, predicting heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds on Monday.
According to civic officials, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Navy were on alert as Cyclone Tauktae intensified to a very severe cyclonic storm and was passing close to Mumbai.
Six flood rescue teams of the Mumbai fire brigade were deployed at chowpatties and five temporary shelters each were kept ready in 24 civic wards of the city to shift citizens there if required, they said.
Cyclone Tauktae is "very likely" to reach the Gujarat coast between 8 pm and 11 pm, according to the weather department. Around 25,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas between Porbandar and Mahuva in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district in anticipation of landfall.

Report by Chetali S M
Reported on – 17/05/2021