High tide in Mumbai as heavy rain lashes the city; BMC on alert

Mumbai, July 15: Mumbaikars, already battling waterlogging due to heavy rains, faced another tough battle in the form of high tide on Sunday.

The highest tide of the season at 4.97 metres is predicted to be at 1.49 pm on Sunday, which coupled with heavy rains, could cause flooding in low-lying parts of the city.

The BMC has put its officials on alert. During a high tide, the BMC closes the flood gates to prevent seawater from entering the city. However, that also means that rainwater has no way of getting out, and this adds to waterlogging problems.

Mumbaikars who have planned an outing for the weekend need to be extra cautious, as they could get caught in traffic snarls.

As per the BMC's report on August 29 deluge last year, the neap tide was the only reason for the severe flooding, which halted the city for almost two days, claimed 14 lives and another 12 were missing.

The rain water receded only the next morning. On these seven days, BMC's disaster management has informed all agencies like traffic police, fire brigade, BEST, etc., to be on high alert.