Monsoon vigorous in Western region, erratic in North

Torrential rains pelted financial capital Mumbai and other parts of the western region flooding streets and causing travel woes even as the southwest monsoon remained feeble and erratic in North India which received scattered showers today.

Army was asked to standby in Gujarat’s Junagadh district as incessant rains battered Mangrol area snapping road links which cut off several villages from rest of the world.

Over 200 families were evacuated from marooned villages to safer places in Mangrol which received 500 mm of rains.

In Maharashtra, heavy rains pounded Mumbai, Vidarbha and Pune inundating low-lying areas, affecting normal life and causing major rivers to rise menacingly.

Several outstation trains were diverted as heavy showers lashed Mumbai for the third day in a row with the metropolis recording 240.1 mm of rains since last evening, the weather office said.

However, rains eased water woes of parched Pune where level of four dams — Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar — rose substantially.

In North India, which remained rain-deficient, Rajasthan and the national capital received showers while rains eluded Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Showers lashed many places in Rajasthan with state capital Jaipur receiving 17 mm of rains and Sarwad 14 mm as other parts of the desert state had light to moderate showers.