Photo by Saikiran Kesari on Unsplash
On 26th of May, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) addressed its weather warning for Mumbai and nearby districts, placing them under a 'red' alert. This highest-level warning indicates the likelihood of extremely heavy rainfall which is accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds occurring in isolated pockets of the region. The districts of Thane, Raigad, and Ratnagiri are also expected to be severely impacted by this intense weather system.
Alert Level Raised as Rain Intensifies
Earlier in the day, the IMD had raised its alert level for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad from a 'yellow' to an 'orange' alert, suggesting a more serious weather threat. However, as rain activity picked up and conditions worsened, the department decided to further escalate the alert to 'red.' This upgraded warning is expected to remain in force until 27th May morning, thereby urging residents and local authorities to remain on high alert.
Disruption in the Daily Life Due to Waterlogging
The heavy downpour has already started causing significant disruptions in the city. Several parts of Mumbai have reported severe waterlogging, resulting in traffic congestion and slow vehicular movement. Areas around the Dadar TT flyover are particularly affected by water accumulation leading to long traffic jams. Similarly, traffic has slowed down considerably near the King’s Circle flyover and localities like Saki Naka in Andheri due to the rainfall.
Traffic Slows Across Key Junctions
According to the Mumbai traffic police, vehicular movement remains slow at major intersections such as Hindmata Junction, Worli Naka, and Elphinstone Bridge. The accumulation of rainwater on roads has created challenging driving conditions, affecting the usual flow of traffic and increasing travel times for commuters.
It's also, challenging to start for the newly opened Acharya Atre Chowk underground metro station on Mumbai's Aqua Line 3. Just days after its inauguration on May 10, 2025, the station experienced significant submergence due to intense overnight rainfall. This incident highlights the vulnerability of urban infrastructure to extreme weather events, especially as Mumbai grapples with record-breaking May rainfall to be the highest in 107 years.
The Unfortunate Submergence
The Acharya Atre Chowk station, a crucial link connecting key business hubs like the Bandra-Kurla Complex and Worli, found itself flooded after approximately 13 hours of relentless downpours. This event underscores the immediate impact of severe weather on even the most modern urban developments. While underground metro systems are designed with drainage in mind, the sheer volume of rainfall clearly overwhelmed the station's defenses.
The rainfall statistics are particularly striking. Mumbai's May precipitation has surpassed a 107-year record, indicating an unusual and intense weather pattern for the season. This unprecedented rainfall not only led to the station's submergence but also raised broader questions about the city's preparedness for increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions. The incident at Acharya Atre Chowk could be for future infrastructure challenges in a changing climate.
Service Disruptions and Public Notice
In response to the "unforeseen technical issue" caused by the flooding, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) promptly issued a public notice. The notice informed commuters that train services on Metro Line 3 would be temporarily curtailed, operating only up to Worli Station instead of extending to the affected by Acharya Atre Chowk. This disruption, while necessary for safety and repairs, undoubtedly impacted daily commuters relying on the newly established connection. The swift communication from MMRCL was crucial in managing public expectations and redirecting commuters.
Mumbai's Monsoon Distresses: An Early Flood Exposes Lingering Vulnerabilities
Mumbai, the resilient city that never sleeps has found itself once again grappling with the challenging force of the monsoon. However, recent developments reveal a concerning shift in the city's rainfall patterns and an alarming unpreparedness that has left its citizens facing familiar flood-like situations. The narrative of the Mumbai monsoon is changing, and it's imperative to understand the complex challenges at play.
A Historic Downpour and Shifting Patterns
Historically, Mumbai's monsoon season has been characterized by a more spread-out distribution of rainfall. Over the last few years, this pattern has undergone a stark transformation. The city is now experiencing more intense rainfall concentrated over shorter durations. This dramatic shift puts immense pressure on Mumbai's infrastructure, particularly its stormwater drainage system which, despite built-in terminations, is simply unable to cope with such concentrated floods.
The early arrival of the monsoon this year has only exacerbated the situation. In a remarkable turn of events, Mumbai shattered a 107-year-old rainfall record for May. The Colaba weather monitoring station recorded an astounding 135.4 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, classifying it as "very heavy rain." This single event contributed significantly to the city's overall May rainfall, which reached an unprecedented 295 mm, surpassing the previous record of 279.4 mm set way back in May 1918. The Indian weather department confirmed that the Southwest Monsoon advanced to Mumbai on May 26, 2025, a full 16 days earlier than its usual date of June 11. This marks the earliest monsoon advancement over Mumbai between 2001 and 2025, a phenomenon that carries significant implications.
The Unfinished Business of Pre-Monsoon Preparedness
The early onset of the monsoon, while a natural occurrence has unfortunately caught the city's civic authorities off guard. Mumbai's pre-monsoon preparations, especially the crucial unclogging of drains, adhere to a fixed schedule. This year, the accelerated arrival of the monsoon has meant that these vital works were incomplete.
Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have acknowledged that drainage cleaning operations were not yet finalized when the rains hit, directly contributing to the current flood-like conditions across the city. Pre-monsoon works are the backbone of Mumbai's defense against waterlogging, and the interruption of this critical schedule due to the early monsoon has left the drainage system operating far from its optimal capacity.
Incomplete and delayed Brimstowad Project
Adding to the city's vulnerability is the prolonged delay in the completion of the Brimstowad drainage system project. Conceived in the aftermath of the devastating 2005 Mumbai floods, which tragically claimed 1094 lives, this ambitious project aimed to thoroughly repair Mumbai's outdated 19th-century drainage infrastructure. Over the past decade, considerable efforts have been made to augment the system's capacity including widening stormwater drains and installing new pumping stations.
However, the project remains incomplete, leaving critical gaps in the city's drainage network. Authorities often attribute these delays to factors such as encroachment and litigation. Regardless of the reasons, the persistent delay in the Brimstowad project continues to leave Mumbaikars suffering year after year. Until this vital infrastructure project is fully realized, the city will remain susceptible to the risks of heavy rainfall, no matter how early or intense the monsoon decides to be.
The recent events serve as a stark reminder that while nature's patterns may shift, the responsibility to adapt and prepare lies firmly with urban planners and administrators. There are various infrastructure shortcomings that require improvement and even after being ranked as a tier 1 city of India, Mumbai still doesn’t have a proper drainage system.
. . .
References: