Mumbai, July 8 - Normal life was disrupted in Mumbai, Thane and the surrounding areas following heavy rains since Tuesday night which continued virtually unabated till Wednesday morning.

Several low-lying areas of the city were flooded with two to four feet of water, including Charni Road, Mumbai Central, Mazagaon, Byculla, Parel, Worli, Matunga, Sion, Dadar in the southern parts of the city.

Similarly in the suburbs, areas like Jogeshwari, Goregaon, Kandivli, Versova-Juhu, Ghatkopar, Mulund and neighbouring areas were flooded.

The flooding is attributed to the high tide which has prevented the storm water from flowing into the Arabian Sea.

Surface and air transport were hit with massive traffic snarls on the two highways serving the city, the three branches of suburban railways and the Mumbai airport.

A spokesman for Mumbai International Airport Ltd. said that due to low visibility which had dipped to around 200 metres, and flooding on the main runway, all flight operations had been suspended for nearly 30 minutes this morning.

Mumbai airport operations have been affected for the second time since Friday when heavy rains had caused disruptions in the city.

According to a spokesman for Central Railway (CR), there was an average 30-40 minute delay in train services on the main and harbour lines, severely inconveniencing office-goers.