NEW DELHI, May 13: Flight operations at Mumbai’s Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were temporarily suspended due to low visibility and rains as the country’s economic capital witnessed the season’s first rains accompanied by a massive dust storm.
Mumbai skyline turned dark around 3 PM due to dust storm followed by heavy rains bringing relief to the residents of Mumbai and its adjoining area from sweltering heat.
The sudden change in weather also brought traffic to a standstill as commuters took shelter during the storm.
Gusty winds followed by drizzle also hit some other parts of Western India including Ahmedabad where the start of the scheduled IPL match between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was delayed due to bad weather.
“Due to the inclement weather and dust storms in the city, Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) temporarily suspended flight operations for around 66 min due to low visibility and gusty winds. Operations resumed at 17:03 hrs,” the airport said in a statement.
“During this time, the airport witnessed 15 diversions. CSMIA last week completed its pre-monsoon runway maintenance successfully, ensuring safe and smooth aircraft operations. Committed to efficiency and passenger safety, the airport remains steadfast to prioritize seamless operations,” the CSMIA statement added.
Strong winds and rain were witnessed in the Ghatkopar, Bandra Kurla, Dharavi area of Mumbai. Landing and take-off operations at the Mumbai airport, one of the busiest airports in the country, were temporarily suspended, officials said. The airport authority in an update said the operations resumed at 5:03 pm and it witnessed 15 flight diversions during the storm. The Mumbai Airport last week completed its pre-monsoon runway maintenance successfully, ensuring safe and smooth aircraft operations.
A 100-foot tall billboard was uprooted and fell on a petrol pump at the Cheddanagar Junction in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, trapping vehicles and over 100 people, visuals showed, requiring the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to be called in to rescue the trapped.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai in an update, said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and moderate to intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50-60 km/hr are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Palghar and Thane during the next 3-4 hours.
Metro services were suspended between Aarey and Andheri East metro stations after a banner landed on the overheard wire due to strong winds, a spokesperson from Metro Rail said.
Suburban services on Central Railway were affected after an overhead equipment pole between Thane and Mulund stations got bent due to strong winds, an official said. Strong winds caused trees to fall in several areas. In Mumbai’s neighbouring Navi Mumbai, a tree fell on a busy road in the Aroli Sector 5 area. No one was injured but the traffic stopped and commuters parked their vehicles at a safe distance as heavy winds continued to hit the city.
Apart from this, the incidents of trees falling were also reported in some areas of India’s financial capital. Rains coupled with gusty winds were witnessed in the suburbs of Dadar, Kurla, Mahim, Ghatkopar, Mulund and Vikhroli, while parts of south Mumbai saw drizzles.
The satellite towns of Thane, Ambernath, Badlapur, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar also received moderate showers with gusty winds.
(Manas Dasgupta)
