Mumbai Rains: Over 250mm Recorded In 13 Hours Of Heavy Rainfall; New Underground Metro Station Flooded; Political Slugfest

The early arrival of monsoon in Maharashtra and especially heavy rains lashing Mumbai has brought the busy city to standstill. As per the data shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, South Mumbai recorded extremely heavy rainfall, with over 250 mm in just 13 hours ending at 11 am on Monday.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) was forced to halt operations after flooding was reported at the newly-inaugurated underground Acharya Atre Chowk station.

A political slugfest was triggered in Maharashtra on Monday with the ruling Mahayuti bloc blaming the sudden downpour for Mumbai's waterlogging, while the opposition accused the government of failing to prepare the city despite heavy spending.

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Severe Waterlogging Across Mumbai

BMC said that Nariman Point received the highest rainfall at 252 mm, followed by the BMC headquarters (216 mm) and Colaba pumping station (207 mm) between 10 pm on May 25 and 11 am on May 26. The intense spell was accompanied by a high tide of 4.75 metres at 11.24 am.

Parts of south Mumbai, including Flora Fountain, Oval Maidan, Mantralaya, Churchgate Station, and CSMT, which rarely get flooded, also reported waterlogging on Monday morning.

The heavy downpours flooded several low-lying areas, including Hindmata, King Circle, Dadar TT, Kings Circle, Parel TT, Kalachowki, and JJ Marg, leading to diversions and delays in BEST bus services.

As per the figures released by the civic body, the city’s suburban areas received less rainfall than south Mumbai.

The suburban services of the Central Railway and Western Railway were also disrupted due to heavy waterlogging on tracks. CSMT to Wadala Road services were suspended from 10.25 am to 11.30 am due to flooding near Masjid station.

Swapnil Nila, CR's chief public relations officer, said water rose 8 inches above the track level between Masjid and Sandhurst Road station, prompting them to halt train operations on the Harbour line.

At least five incidents of partial house collapses and 32 instances of tree falls were reported, though no injuries were recorded. A portion of the Haji Kasam building in Mahim gave away after which two residents were rescued from there, the BMC said.

In a release in the evening, BMC said the entire civic machinery was in the field in the wake of the “record” rain. Around 6,000 officials and employees were “on the field” across the city, it said. Civic commissioner Bhushan Gagrani is monitoring the situation from the disaster control room, it said.

BMC said it has deployed 417 pumps for quicker removal of water from low-lying areas in the metropolis. The Mumbai fire brigade is prepared to face any situation, and it has also been coordinating with the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), the release said.

The civic body also appealed to the citizens not to believe rumours and rely only on authentic sources of information or contact the 1916 helpline, if necessary. 

Hiren Meena, divisional railway manager of the Mumbai division of Central Railway, blamed the civic body of Mumbai for the inundated railway tracks.

“Train services are affected due to: Heavy rain in the Mumbai region and overflow of BMC drainage lines High tide causing waterlogging on railway lines. Efforts are being made to coordinate with BMC Corporation to resolve the issue,” Meena wrote on his official X account.

Western Railway's suburban services were also hit after tree branches fell on tracks and power supply disruptions occurred between Churchgate and Marine Lines stations.

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Newly-Inaugurated Underground Metro Station Flooded

Operations on the Metro Line 3 between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli were suspended on Monday after heavy rains inundated an underground station, officials told PTI.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) was forced to halt operations after flooding was reported at the underground Acharya Atre Chowk station. The MMRC extended the underground metro services between the Bandra-Kurla Complex and Aacharya Atre Chowk stations on May 9.

Viral videos showed waterlogging inside the station, including platforms, ticketing bays, and surrounding areas. In one such video, rainwater can be seen leaking along the escalators, while the false ceiling inside the station lies collapsed, and some machinery is scattered.

The inundation inside the metro station has raised concerns about construction quality and monsoon preparedness of the underground metro station on the 33-km-long Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVLR underground metro corridor.

In a statement, the MMRC said, "Due to the sudden and intense rainfall today, water seepage was reported at the under-construction entry/exit structure of Acharya Atrey Chowk station along Dr Annie Besant Road. The incident occurred when the RCC water-retaining wall constructed at the entry/exit collapsed due to a sudden ingress of water from an adjoining utility." As a precautionary measure and to ensure passenger safety, train services between Worli and Acharya Atrey Chowk have been temporarily suspended, the agency said.

However, the services from Aarey JVLR to Worli are not affected and are running regularly, it stated.

Political Slugfest Over Mumbai Rains & City Infrastructure

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said "the Metro line was aptly named Aqua, since it is under water today." His comment came after operations on Mumbai's new Metro Line 3 (Aqua) were suspended due to heavy rains inundating an underground station.

Another opposition party, the Congress, said despite spending crores of rupees, the government has failed to clean Mumbai, improve roads, or fix the drainage system.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, however, attributed the flooding of Mumbai's low-lying areas, which led to disruption of road and railway traffic, to the early arrival of southwest monsoon and bringing over 200 mm of rainfall in a short span.

"This was like a cloudburst due to the intensity of the rain," the Deputy Chief Minister told reporters and pointed out that areas like Nariman Point in south Mumbai received 252 mm of rainfall in just 12 hours, far exceeding the expected 50-55 mm.

He admitted that pre-monsoon work, planned for completion by June 10, was caught off guard by the early onset, which typically occurs in Mumbai on June 11.

The normal onset date for the southwest monsoon in Mumbai is June 11, but it reached the metropolis on May 26, marking the earliest arrival in 75 years.

"It is a fact that the rains have arrived early and this has caused chaos," Shinde said, adding pumps would now operate at full swing in low-lying areas to flush out rainwater.

"We know that the rains will arrive after June 6 and preparations are done accordingly. We don't deny that some things have happened....," he added.

Shinde, who also serves as the Urban Development Minister and guardian minister for Mumbai City, said major drains (nullahs) are still being cleaned and claimed water had been drained from affected areas such as Hindmata, Milan Subway, Andheri, Ghatkopar, and Sion.

He assured that a pre-monsoon disaster management meeting involving state and central government agencies like BMC, PWD, MMRDA, Railways, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and NDRF had been held, and the system was alert to minimise public impact.

However, the opposition launched a scathing attack with Thackeray, a former minister, criticising the state government. He said Mumbai's civic body (BMC) had never been in such a precarious situation, implying it would worsen under BJP control.

"This is not the first rain of the season that has hit Mumbai. We have been saying for the past two months to clean the nullahs. The civic body should have held a monsoon meeting. Where is the person who calls himself a visionary, infra man?" Thackeray said while taking a dig at his arch rival Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena.

Senior Congress leader Nana Patole said the present situation of Mumbai was due to the "reckless governance" of the ruling Mahayuti, which consists of the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP.

He termed the waterlogging in Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, not a "natural disaster" but a "warning" and a reflection of the government's "apathy." Patole further alleged that despite crores of rupees spent, the government has failed to clean Mumbai, improve roads, or fix the drainage system, with funds being "siphoned off" on the pretext of cleaning rivers.

He also criticised the government for its perceived indifference to farmers suffering from unseasonal rains.

NCP (SP) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto joined the criticism, expressing shame at the state of Mumbai, "India's financial capital," given India's claim as the world's fourth-largest economy.

He demanded an apology from the BJP-led Maharashtra government, which has been managing the BMC, which is without elected representatives since 2022, for over three years.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Thackeray questioned the timing of the flooded station's inauguration, which took place just two weeks ago.

However, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde defended the inauguration, arguing the Metro Line's work had been completed.

"If you don't start it, you will say why Metro was not inaugurated when it is complete," he countered.