Rain-ravaged Mumbai crawls back to normal, but now red alert for Konkan, Goa, MP

Even as the situation appeared to have looked up a bit with the water slowly receding in some areas,  roads being cleared of uprooted trees and abandoned vehicles and local trains, Mumbai's lifeline, resuming service and flight operations becoming normal, the city's suburbs received light rainfall and the weather office said there could be heavy rains in places later on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department and the Union Water Ministry have  issued an advisory on "very heavy rainfall" over the next three days in parts of 12 states, including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

According to the weather office, the  storm that lay over Mumbai has now moved towards Gujarat  with a red alert for heavy rain being sounded for  Konkan, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and central Maharashtra.

Altogether five persons have so far died in incidents related to the Mumbai  rains considered heaviest in 12  years.

Mumbai remained  crippled on Tuesday by the rain that measured  300 mm in some parts with thousands of people, who had left home in the morning being forced to stay overnight in their work places.

Five teams of the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed to rescue people, who remained marooned in the deluge areas.

The Navy has divers and choppers on standby and its cadets set up  food camps and arranged shelter for people stuck in areas like Colaba, Worli and Ghatkopar.

On Wednesday morning, there were   fewer people on Mumbai's roads this morning with many staying indoors. Many others returned home after spending night in the office.

Schools and colleges remained closed.Mumbai's famous dabbawalas, who deliver lunch to offices, won't operate on Wednesday.