Heavy Rain Pounds Mumbai, Other Parts Of Maharashtra

According to IMD, the city received 135.4 mm of rainfall until 8.30 am on Monday with some parts witnessing cloudburst like situation. South Mumbai was the worst-hit region as it received 252 mm of rainfall in 24 hours until 11 am. The areas like Nariman Point, Colaba, Fort in South Mumbai witnessed rainfall of nearly 100 mm in an hour between 9 am to 10 am.

With it, Mumbai also broke its 107-year-record of receiving the highest rainfall in the month of May, logging 295 mm so far – surpassing the previous record of 279.4 mm set in May 1918. The southwest monsoon reached Mumbai 16 days ahead of schedule, marking its earliest arrival since 1950.

Mumbaikars woke up early morning to incessant rains with dark clouds as thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds lashed the city, causing significant disruption. The downpour affected suburban rail services and slowed traffic due to poor visibility in several areas. Heavy rains inundated tracks on the Central Railway network at Masjid, Byculla, Dadar, Matunga and Badlapur railway stations, slowing the movement of trains in the morning rush hours

Vehicular traffic was affected after low-lying areas, including King’s Circle, Mantralaya, Dadar TT East, Parel TT, Kalachowki, Wadala, Hindmata, Kemps Corner, Churchgate, Chinchpokali and Dadar, witnessed waterlogging. Airlines like Air India, SpiceJet, Indigo have issued travel advisories for passengers as gusty winds, thunder-squalls and lightning might disrupt operations.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attributed early arrival of the southwest monsoon and heavy rainfall in a short span for the inundation of low-lying areas in Mumbai.

“This was like a cloudburst due to the intensity of the rain. A rainfall of 50-55 mm is expected in these places. We expected (the pre-monsoon) work to be completed by June 10 and planned work accordingly. It is a fact that the rains have arrived early and this has caused chaos,” Shinde said.

“All agencies, including BMC, Army, and Navy, are on high alert and coordinating their efforts. The Chief Minister and Disaster Management Minister are closely monitoring the situation. It is the government's responsibility to ensure smooth operations,” he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray lashed out at the state government-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), accusing it of failing to tackle flooding in Mumbai.

In a post on X, Thackeray wrote, “The absolute apathy of the BJP government that controls the BMC for the past 3 years has led to Mumbai come to a standstill today.”

Heavy rain also created havoc in other parts of the state including Pune, Palghar and coastal Konkan districts. One person died due to a lightning strike in Raigad and 48 others were rescued from flooded areas in other parts of the state.

Twenty five houses partially collapsed in Baramati and seven people trapped in flooded areas were rescued. “70 to 80 families have been shifted to safer places. Mobile services that were disrupted yesterday are now being restored,” the CM’s Office said.

The State Disaster Control Department requested the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to deploy 10 teams across various parts of Konkan, including Mumbai and other coastal districts, as well as Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara in view of the heavy rainfall situation.

The weather department has also predicted thunderstorms and moderate rainfall in several parts of Vidarbha. A ‘yellow’ alert has been issued for Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Buldhana, and Washim for the next four days.