Mumbai recorded its heaviest monsoon rainfall in 107 years on the first day of the season, bringing the financial capital of India to a standstill on Monday. The downpour flooded roads and railway tracks, disrupted metro services, and delayed flights across the city.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, warning of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the Mumbai district until 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
An IMD nowcast at 3 p.m. Monday predicted intense rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds across parts of the city over the next few hours.
In a rare event, the monsoon arrived in Mumbai 16 days ahead of schedule — the earliest onset in 75 years, according to IMD data. The normal onset date for the monsoon in the city is around 11 June.
Mumbai received 63.5mm of rainfall in just 24 hours, leading to waterlogging at several locations, including key areas in South Mumbai such as Nariman Point, Colaba, Mantralaya and the Bombay High Court.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office (CMO) confirmed at least six locations were waterlogged, and 18 rain-related short-circuits and five wall collapses had been reported by midday.
In response to worsening conditions, the state government permitted all government employees to leave their offices by 4 p.m. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke with the chief secretary and disaster management officials and ordered a survey of rain-related damages.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also visited the state disaster control room to assess the situation.
One person died in a lightning strike in Maharashtra's Raigad district. Forty-eight people were rescued from waterlogged areas in various parts of the state, the CMO said.
The state disaster management agency requested the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to deploy ten teams across Mumbai and other coastal districts, including Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara. The Indian Navy and other agencies were also placed on alert.
Metro services were disrupted in parts of the city. Water seepage led to flooding at the under-construction Acharya Atrey Chowk metro station near Dr Annie Besant Road, prompting temporary suspension of services between Worli and Acharya Atrey Chowk.
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation clarified that the affected station is still under construction and not yet open to the public. Engineering teams were deployed to manage the situation on site.
Despite the severe rainfall, metro services from Aarey JVLR to Worli continued to operate as scheduled.
The flooding has also prompted political criticism. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray blamed the Mahayuti government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the state of the city’s infrastructure.
“Mumbai is paying the price of corruption by ruling parties in BMC and their control from Mantralaya,” Thackeray said. He also pointed out that flooding occurred last week in the Andheri subway, indicating a lack of preparedness.
As Mumbai continues to face inclement weather, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for moderate to heavy rainfall through the week.
Follow us
