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Mumbai On Red Alert As Torrential Rains Paralyse City Life; Waterlogged Roads, Schools Shut & More Updates

Mumbai has come to a near standstill after three days of relentless monsoon showers, with the IMD issuing a red alert across the city and parts of Maharashtra. Streets are waterlogged, schools shut, and travel disrupted by trains and flights running slow. As officials warn the heaviest is yet to come, how prepared is the city for what lies ahead?

by Mahi Adlakha
Mumbai On Red Alert As Torrential Rains Paralyse City Life; Waterlogged Roads, Schools Shut & More Updates

By dawn on Monday, the city of Mumbai was already drowning in rain, with waterlogging reported in several low-lying areas across the city. Continuous overnight showers led to traffic disruptions in Andheri, Ghatkopar, and Sion, while parts of South Mumbai saw roads submerged and vehicles moving at a crawl.

Mumbai Faces Torrential Rains 

According to India TV News, sheets of water rolled over Mumbai’s Andheri, Ghatkopar and Sion regions, swallowing entire stretches of road. In South Mumbai, traffic crawled along streets, submerging people in knee-deep water. 

It was the third straight day of pounding monsoon showers, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) made the announcement: Mumbai is now under a red alert, with warnings that the heaviest is yet to come.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation moved quickly to shut afternoon schools, urging parents to keep children indoors. By mid-morning, knee-deep water in Sion had forced police to barricade parts of the road, sending traffic spilling onto alternate routes. The result was long queues of cars idling in the rain while motorbikes wobbled through rising water.

Mumbai’s seven lakes, the reservoirs that keep the city running, are almost 90% full. Normally, this would be a moment of relief. But the uneven pattern of rainfall has left authorities on edge with urban flooding in one corner of the city, and relentless uncertainty in others. 

The IMD has warned of three to four hours of particularly heavy downpours through the day, with the possibility of tide-swollen waves spilling over at Marine Drive, Juhu and Worli Sea Face.

Also Read: Mumbai Rains: Landslide In Vikhroli Claims 2 Lives; Rail Tracks Flooded, Airlines Issue Travel Alert

Trains, Flights And Roads Suffer

For commuters, Monday brought back familiar monsoon nightmares. Local trains kept moving, but at a sluggish pace, with their tracks half-submerged in floodwater. 

At the airport, airlines including IndiGo and Akasa Air advised passengers to leave home early, anticipating both waterlogged approach roads and weather-linked delays. On the Western Express Highway, the morning rush hour turned into a slow-motion crawl, cars bumper to bumper under sheets of rain.

The city’s police chief took to X to warn residents of widespread waterlogging and reduced visibility, pleading with Mumbaikars to cancel non-essential travel. Emergency numbers, 100, 112 and 103 were reissued, with assurances that officers were stationed across the city to respond. “Caution is advised as heavy rainfall continues under Orange Alert,” the Commissioner wrote in a message on X. 

The deluge is not confined to the financial capital. The IMD’s red alert stretches across Ratnagiri, Raigad, Satara and Kolhapur, while Pune too sits under the shadow of extremely heavy showers. An orange alert is in force in Marathwada and Vidarbha districts such as Jalna, Beed and Chandrapur, which are already bracing for a sodden week ahead, as stated by India TV News. 

Also Read: Zomato Delivery Man Wades Through Water For Orders Despite Heavy Mumbai Rains & A Broken Bike; Netizens Applaud

As Mumbai and large parts of Maharashtra remain on high alert, the immediate focus is on public safety and maintaining essential services. For now, transport is slowed, schools are shut, and the city’s reservoirs are nearing capacity. Authorities continue to urge caution while preparing for further downpours.

Cover Image Courtesy: IMsarvesh_99/X and _jhalak_1/X

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First Published: August 18, 2025 2:15 PM