Mumbai is seeing unimaginably heavy rain, and life in the city has almost stopped. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert yesterday, warning of extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall across the region. That’s a serious warning; it means we should all stay safe and be prepared.
Over the past three days, parts of the city got drenched under more than 500 mm of rain, especially Chembur, Dadar, and Worli, one of the worst spells this monsoon so far. The rain shows no signs of letting up, with more expected in the coming days.
In response, BMC has shut down all schools, colleges, and most government offices in Mumbai and the suburbs for today. Only essential services remain open. Private offices have also been asked to let employees work from home, if possible.
Getting around has become a nightmare. Streets are flooded, vehicles are stuck, and traffic jams are everywhere. Harbour Line trains between Kurla and CSMT are suspended, BEST buses are rerouted, and long-distance flights are delayed or diverted.
Despite the chaos, the suburban train network is trying to keep going. The Indian Railways says, “Won’t stop, won’t pause,” and local trains are running even though many lines are waterlogged and delayed.
The rain hasn’t just caused traffic trouble. Sadly, there have been deaths reported across the region, two in Mumbai (a wall collapse and an electrocution), plus several others in areas like Nanded, Marathwada, Hingoli, and Beed. In Marathwada alone, 4 dead and 5 missing, 225 rescued, many farmlands and villages flooded, and even landslides reported in Kolhapur.
What’s making things worse is that today’s high tide is making water drainage harder. Some low-lying areas are already flooding again.
Looking ahead, the IMD says this isn’t just Mumbai’s problem. More than 20 states, from Maharashtra and Gujarat to Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, northern states, and the Northeast, are in for heavy to very heavy rain, with some areas seeing extremely heavy spells over the next few days.
