Mumbai has been placed under a red alert by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as the city reels from torrential downpours that have paralysed transport, forced school closures, and disrupted flight operations. Airlines, including IndiGo, have issued advisories urging passengers to plan ahead as waterlogging and traffic congestion near the airport worsen.
Rainfall and Disruptions
According to officials, the city has received over 400 mm of rainfall in less than two days, one of the heaviest spells in recent years. Several suburbs, including Andheri, Goregaon, Kurla, and Sion, are heavily inundated, with underpasses and low-lying areas submerged for hours. Local train services, Mumbai’s lifeline, faced repeated cancellations, while portions of road traffic came to a standstill.
Impact on Daily Life
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that all schools and colleges would remain closed as a precaution, while offices were advised to allow employees to work from home. More than 400 residents were evacuated from flood-prone areas near the Mithi river, and rescue teams remain on standby in multiple zones.
Adding to the chaos, nearly 800 passengers had to be evacuated from two Mumbai monorail trains that were stranded mid-route due to waterlogging and technical snags caused by heavy rainfall. The incident highlighted the severe stress on the city’s public transport infrastructure.
Tragically, at least two people have died in the city, while seven others across Maharashtra have lost their lives to rain-related incidents.
Air Travel and Advisories
Flight operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were severely hit, with several services delayed or diverted. IndiGo Airlines asked passengers to allow additional travel time to reach the airport and to stay updated via official channels. Other carriers also warned of possible cascading delays due to air traffic congestion.
Authorities on Alert
The IMD has warned that the red alert will continue through Wednesday, predicting further heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The BMC has appealed to residents to stay indoors unless necessary and has mobilised disaster management teams across the city.
What Lies Ahead
While the rains are expected to ease later in the week, officials fear that continued downpours could strain Mumbai’s already fragile drainage system. Experts have once again called for long-term urban flood management measures, warning that climate-driven extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent.
