Mumbai

Afraid of a repeat of the deluge on August 29, panic-stricken Mumbaiites stayed put indoors as heavy rains pounded the city today. As many as 180 flights were cancelled due to bad weather.

The administration had asked schools and colleges to shut down after the IMD warned of heavy rains. With major roads in the city flooded since Tuesday night, most residents chose to take the day off and stay at home. The city’s local trains which were running slower by half-an-hour in many places had fewer people travelling.

Though a few services were cancelled, the suburban train services of both the Western and Central Railways were plying normally, officials from both organisations said this afternoon.

According to the weather bureau, the city received 304 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8 am today. This was only slightly lower than the 316 mm of rainfall reported on August 29 this year. However, the intensity of the rainfall tapered down towards the afternoon.

Worst hit were flights to and from Mumbai after a SpiceJet aircraft skidded off the runway and got stuck on the mud late Tuesday night. The authorities diverted more than five dozen international and domestic flights to various airports across the country.

Later in the day, the secondary runway of the airport was made operational. Airport officials said normal services were likely to resume later on Wednesday afternoon.