Cyclone Tauktae: Bandra-Worli sea link now open for commute, tweets BMC

The BrihanMumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC) announced on Tuesday that the Bandra-Worli sea link has now been opened for commute. It was closed in the wake of Cyclone Tauktae, which wreaked havoc in coastal districts of Maharashtra.

"Dear Mumbaikars, Bandra-Worli sea link is now open to commute," a tweet from the BMC said.

The Bandra-Worli sea link was closed for traffic on Monday in view of the strong winds and people were asked to take alternate routes.

Gusty winds reaching the speed of 114 kmph and heavy showers lashed Mumbai and its neighbouring areas on Monday as the "very severe cyclonic storm" Tauktae passed close to the coast while moving towards Gujarat. Many trees were uprooted and local train services disrupted.

At least 16 people were killed as the cyclone brushed past the coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, authorities said.

Water-logging occurred at 13 locations in Mumbai and at seven spots in the western suburbs, according to the BMC.

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 23.7 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal, after heavy rains caused by the cyclone. Some parts of the city registered over 300mm of rainfall in 24 hours as of 8.30am on Tuesday.

According to Shubhangi Bhute, senior director at Mumbai office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the highest wind speed of 108 km per hour was recorded at the Colaba observatory on Monday afternoon.

Flight operations at Mumbai airport remained suspended for 11 hours before resuming on Monday night. More than 55 flights, both incoming and outbound, were cancelled during the time the airport remained shut.

Tauktae has, meanwhile, weakened on Tuesday as it crossed Gujarat. More than 200,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Gujarat and authorities shut ports and major airports as the cyclone made landfall late on Monday, packing gusts of up to 210 kmph.

The cyclone which was categorised as "extremely severe" weakened to a "very severe" storm after making landfall, the IMD said. The intensity is set to reduce further in the next few hours, it added.