Incessant rainfall and a high tide battered Mumbai’s coastline on Monday, disrupting road traffic and slowing down suburban train and metro services across key routes.
The downpour, which started overnight, led to waterlogging in several low-lying areas and sparked a series of complaints and images on social media platforms like X, as residents struggled to navigate through the chaos.
Transport takes a hit
Suburban train services on the Central and Western lines were reported running behind schedule. Several commuters on X claimed delays of 20–30 minutes during peak morning hours on Central Railway, with limited announcements or updates on platforms.
The Mumbai Metro One line, which connects Ghatkopar to Versova via Andheri, faced a brief disruption in the afternoon after heavy winds caused a plastic sheet from a nearby construction site to land on overhead electric wires at Azad Nagar station.
"The services are running normally now. Due to heavy winds, a plastic sheet from a nearby construction site flew onto the overhead electrical line near the Azad Nagar Metro station, disrupting train services," read a statement from Mumbai Metro One.
On-ground frustration, online humour
X users posted visuals of waterlogged streets and long queues at stations.
One user wrote, “This isn't even a trailer for what real Mumbai rains look like. Wait for late June to early July and you'll know what the real monsoon is.”
Another wrote, tagging various state and transport agencies: “High time you should give licences for speedboats and motorboats to wade through #Mumbai roads during rains. Also, @RailMinIndia should allow such boats to use rail tracks which are submerged.”
Cloudy skies with the possibility of heavy rainfall at a few places in Mumbai and its suburbs are likely over the next 24 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The island city recorded an average rainfall of 95 mm in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am, while the eastern suburbs recorded 58 mm and the western suburbs saw 75 mm, as per data shared by civic officials.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also alerted citizens about tidal activity. A high tide of 4.21 metres is expected at 3:31 pm on Monday, followed by another high tide of 3.44 metres at 3:31 am on Tuesday. Low tides are expected at 9:41 pm (1.86 metres) and 9:10 am Tuesday (1.33 metres).