Heavy rain floods Vasai-Virar ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations

With only a few hours left before the arrival of Ganpati Bappa, heavy rain began lashing the Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara area from early Sunday, throwing life out of gear. The downpour intensified from 3 am, accompanied by thunder, causing the city's drains and gutters to overflow. Water entered main roads, homes and shops in low-lying areas, and some Ganeshotsav pandals, disrupting festival preparations. The continuous rain has raised concerns about what lies ahead if the intensity continues into the festival.

The railway station area of Nalasopara East was worst affected. Water also accumulated at several spots on Central Park, Tulinj Road, Gala Nagar, roads in Virar West, and in the Naigaon area. At the Nalasopara station premises, knee-deep water forced commuters heading to catch local trains to wade through and struggle to reach the station. On the main road from Virar towards the Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway, heavy waterlogging slowed traffic considerably, causing severe difficulties for daily commuters as well as devotees travelling to Konkan for the festival, who got stuck in the resulting traffic jam.

The municipal corporation's disaster management department has begun deploying suction pumps at waterlogged spots, but the continuing rain is delaying the draining of water. With the rain persisting just ahead of the festival, there is an atmosphere of concern in the city, and the administration has warned people to remain alert.

People who had stepped out for last-minute shopping and traders were left rattled by the sudden downpour. Several mandals had already brought idols of Bappa into their pandals with fanfare on Saturday, but when water entered some pandals from early Sunday, workers scrambled to save decoration material, lighting and tableaux. At several pandals, workers were seen using pumps to drain out the water that had entered.