'Difficult to stay inside': Mumbai residents seen sleeping on Versova beach shores to escape intense heat

MUMBAI: As soaring temperatures and rising humidity continue to grip Mumbai, several residents, mostly from nearby slum settlements, have begun spending their nights on the shores of Versova beach to escape the stifling conditions inside their homes.Many of these residents live in densely packed settlements along the Versova coastline, where poor ventilation and cramped living spaces make it difficult to cope with the heat, according to news agency ANI.

To find some relief, families gather on the beach after sunset and spend the night there, returning home by dawn.A slum dweller said, "We sleep on the beach every day to escape the intense heat. It becomes very difficult to stay inside our homes because of the heat, so we come here at night."Another resident, Rahul, stated that most of those sleeping on the beach are from nearby slum areas, while a smaller number are visitors who spend time at the beach and end up staying overnight.A resident from Uttar Pradesh said that people generally return to sleeping indoors once the monsoon arrives and temperatures begin to ease.According to weather forecasts, Mumbai residents are currently experiencing excessive heat, with temperatures reaching around 33 degrees Celsius.

Several parts of Maharashtra have recorded high temperatures in recent days.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 1-2 degrees Celsius across the interior regions of Maharashtra over the next three days, followed by a gradual decline.Accoridng to news agency ANI, the IMD also said there is likely to be no significant change in minimum temperatures over Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada during the next four to five days. Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms has been predicted in parts of the Vidarbha region.Offering some relief to residents affected by the heat, the weather department has issued a yellow alert for isolated rainfall and thunderstorms in parts of Maharashtra. The IMD has further indicated that the southwest monsoon is likely to advance further into the state over the next four to five days.In its Long Range Forecast for the Southwest Monsoon Seasonal Rainfall during June-September 2026, the IMD stated that seasonal rainfall across the country is likely to be 90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA), with a model error margin of plus or minus four per cent, indicating below-normal rainfall during the monsoon season.