Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Relentless heavy rains continued to lash Mumbai and its suburbs for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, leading to widespread waterlogging, disrupted train and flight services, and closure of schools, colleges, and government offices.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that all government and semi-government offices in Mumbai, excluding essential services, would remain closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure following the red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
“Considering the red alert for very heavy rainfall in Mumbai city and suburbs, all government, semi-government, and BMC offices (excluding essential services) will remain closed today,” the civic body said.
The BMC also appealed to private establishments to allow employees to work from home and avoid unnecessary travel.
The Directorate of Higher Education declared a holiday for all senior colleges in the Konkan region, covering Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
Several parts of the city, including Borivali, Andheri, Sion, Dadar and Chembur, witnessed intense downpour through Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Waterlogging was reported at Hindmata, Andheri Subway, Gandhi Market, parts of the Eastern Express Highway, Mumbai-Gujarat highway and the Eastern Freeway.
Between 8 am Monday and 6 am Tuesday, the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded an average rainfall of 128.86 mm, 154.37 mm and 185.74 mm, respectively, civic officials said.
In the 24-hour period ending at 8 am Tuesday, the averages rose further to 186.43 mm, 208.78 mm and 238.19 mm, respectively.
The IMD reported that several parts of Mumbai received more than 200 mm rainfall in 24 hours, with Vikhroli recording the highest at 255.5 mm, followed by Byculla (241 mm), Juhu (221.5 mm) and Bandra (211 mm). The Santacruz observatory logged 238.2 mm, while Colaba recorded 110.4 mm. The Mahalaxmi area saw comparatively lower rainfall at 72.5 mm.
In just one hour on Tuesday morning, south Mumbai areas such as Mumbai Central, Parel, Grant Road, Malabar Hill, Dadar and Worli recorded 40 mm to 65 mm rainfall, worsening the flooding.
The IMD has forecast “very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the city and suburbs with occasional gusty winds reaching 45-55 kmph.”
High tide of 3.75 metres at 9.16 am and another of 3.14 metres at 8.53 pm on Tuesday were expected to add to the waterlogging woes.
Train services were also hit. While water was reported on tracks in low-lying areas of Dadar, Matunga, Parel and Sion, railway officials said it was below track level, though services were delayed.
A Central Railway spokesperson said local trains on the main line were running late by 10 minutes and on the harbour line by five minutes.
A Western Railway spokesperson said services were “running a little late due to poor visibility.”
To make matters worse, an early morning technical snag in the signalling system between Ambivali and Shahad stations also delayed services.
Air traffic was disrupted as well, with arrivals delayed by about 10 minutes and departures by around 20 minutes.
IndiGo Airlines issued a travel advisory on X warning of operational challenges: “With Mumbai drenched in heavy showers, several routes to the airport are witnessing waterlogging and sluggish traffic. This has, in turn, led to operational challenges, with delays in both departures and arrivals and we truly regret the inconvenience this may cause. If you're scheduled to travel, we recommend leaving a little earlier and keeping an eye on your flight status via our app or website.”
It added, “Our teams are closely monitoring the situation and working diligently to keep operations steady. Your safety, comfort, and peace of mind remain our priority, and we deeply value your patience and understanding.”
The continuous downpour, coupled with traffic snarls and flooding, brought Mumbai to a near standstill for the second day, with civic authorities urging citizens to stay indoors unless necessary.
