Mumbai sinks, govt exposed

Mumbai: Large parts of Mumbai were deluged as heavy rains wreaked havoc on roads, railways and metro networks, exposing tall claims by the officialdom of full preparedness for the four wet months ahead, on Monday.

This was the first downpour even before the official monsoon onset, on the first day of the week, catching and angering lakhs of commuters across the metropolis, with the IMD sounding a Red Alert for Tuesday.

According to Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, Mumbai notched an astounding 250 mm of rain in the city, five times the normal expectations of average 50 mm after June 10.

Lakhs of SSC students rushing to collect their documents - for the online admission process which resumed today – also experienced tense times reaching their schools on time.

The two highways, most important and arterial roads as well as by-lanes were submerged under two-to-four feet water in many spots, severely hitting movement of vehicular traffic and people.

Waterlogging was seen in Malad, Andheri, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Santacruz, Khar, Worli, Dadar, Wadala, Sion, Mankhurd, Kemps Corner, Mahalaxmi, Byculla, Mazagaon, Bhandup and other areas.

Services on the Western Railway, Central Railway and Harbour Lines, within Mumbai and to far-off destinations in Thane, Palghar, Raigad were delayed for varying periods in different parts, as harried commuters attempted to rush to their workplaces.

The Worli Station on Mumbai Metro Line 3 presented an embarrassing spectacle with water gushing down the stairs, escalators, life, carrying with it muck and much more, leakages from the ceiling and other fittings.

The vicinity of Churchgate, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Brabourne Stadium, parts of Marine Lines, Kalbadevi, Grant Road also were flooded with several inches of water, and a massive tree crash outside CSMT added to the commuters’ woes.

A similar soaky situation was seen in adjoining Navi Mumbai, towns in Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts plus other regions of Maharashtra as the monsoon rains barged in at least a fortnight before its normal onset date of June 10.

At least five students from Dharavi in Mumbai who had gone for a picnic to the popular Pandavkada waterfalls in Navi Mumbai were stranded as the water flow suddenly increased, but were rescued safely by the fire brigade.

250 mm: Rainfall South Mumbai recorded in just 13 hours ending at 11 am on Monday.

252 mm: Nariman Point received the highest rainfall at 252 mm, followed by the BMC HQ (216 mm) and Colaba pumping station (207 mm).

4.75 metres: The intense spell was accompanied by a high tide of 4.75 metres at 11.24 am.

107: The torrential downpour of 295-mm rains erased a 107-year-old record rainfall notched at 279.4 mm in 1918.

Flooding in showpiece projects

The big shockers were the flooding in several parts of the swank new Mumbai Metro Line 3 and the Marine Lines-Haji section of the Mumbai Coastal Road, both inaugurated recently.

Opened last fortnight with fanfare, the Mumbai Metro-3 is part of the first subterranean network partly opened from Bandra Kurla Complex-Acharya Atre Chowk Station in Worli.

Mumbai was stunned to see rainwater gushing into the Acharya Atre Chowk Station, raising safety concerns and susceptibilities during monsoon of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. work.

Downplaying as ‘water seepage’ the mini-waterfalls at many spots, the MMRCL blamed it on sudden ingress of water from an adjoining utility as the RCC retaining wall crashed near the Acharya Atre Chowk Station.

Though the affected portion (to be ready in three months) is not accessible to commuters, as a precautionary measure, the MMRCL suspended train services between Worli-Acharya Atre Chowk, and services between Aarey-JVLR to Worli functioned normally.

Expressing ‘regrets for the inconvenience’ to commuters, the MMRCL said its engineering and safety teams were working to resolve the problems on a war-footing, and assured full adherence to safety protocols before the affected portion is opened.

Built by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the MCR which had eased commute, became a road to misery with waterlogging in many portions, hugely hitting vehicular movement, with giant high tides of 4.77 m.(11.28 am) and 4.1 m. (11.06 pm) which seemed to angrily suck in the infrastructure showpiece.

"When It Rains, It Wars"

May 26 has a peculiar knack for ominous convergence in Indian history. In 1962 and 1971, Mumbai was drenched by unseasonal downpours on this very date - meteorological anomalies that preceded, respectively, the Sino-Indian war and the Bangladesh Liberation conflict. Fast forward to 2025, and once again, the skies over Mumbai opened up, even as India faces a new military flashpoint with Pakistan, this time in the form of the Pahalgam terror strike and its aftermath, Operation Sindoor. Coincidence, perhaps. But history, like the monsoon, has a habit of returning, unexpected and turbulent.

Three killed, 48 rescued

Two persons were killed and six others injured in a lightning strike in Latur district on Monday evening, an official said. The incident occurred in Gothala village of Ahmedpur tehsil when a group of people were working in a field, he said.

In another lightning strike in the district, a buffalo died in Tiruka village of Jalkot tehsil, the official said.

One person died in a lightning strike, while 48 people were rescued from inundated areas as heavy rains battered several places in Maharashtra on Monday, the office of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. “Pune, Satara, Solapur, Raigad, Mumbai and MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) have received heavy rainfall. Daund received 117 mm of rain in 24 hours, Baramati 104.75 mm, while 63.25 mm was recorded in Indapur.”