Mumbai Rains: Heavy Rainfall, Gusty Winds Bring City To Standstill As 814 Trees Fall, Transport Is Hit, BMC Steps Up Emergency Response Under Red Alert

Mumbai, July 6: Amid red alert for gusty winds and relentless rainfall, monsoon mayhem continued on Monday in Mumbai non-stop for the eighth day in a row. As many as 814 trees fell in different parts of the metropolis, injuring at least ten citizens.

However, several parked cars were crushed underneath the falling trees. Road and train traffic between Mumbai and Pune came to a halt for several hours following landslides, impacting thousands of commuters.

Three Iranian ships, which were detained in February by the Indian Coast Guard following the war in West Asia, were dragged by heavy winds off the Manori coast. While one of them ran aground, the other two drifted towards the high sea. The Indian Coast Guard rescued the crew in two other ships, while the third ship which ran aground had no personnel on it.

Weather alert upgraded
The orange alert issued last night for Monday was upgraded to red alert early morning. An orange alert has been sounded for Tuesday. Till 6 pm on Monday, the city received 132 mm of rainfall, while the suburbs got 223 mm.

School and colleges remained shut, and many private sector employees worked from home following an appeal by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Government and semi-government offices worked half-day, barring essential services.

Strong winds and rainfall impact
Rainfall was moderate to heavy, but the winds blew at a speed of 80 to 90 kmph. As per the IMD, similar weather conditions are expected to prevail on Tuesday as well, and an orange alert has been sounded.

Tree falls and casualties reported
Between Sunday 8 am to Monday 6 pm, a total of 814 tree falls were reported across Mumbai, along with 41 house/wall collapses. At least 10 citizens were injured in monsoon-related disasters in this period.

The monsoon house collapse of Sunday night resulted in the death of five children and one woman. This also took the monsoon-related death toll to 11.

Transport and civic disruption
Waterlogging at several places, fallen trees and damaged road infrastructure disrupted BEST bus operations across Mumbai, including Andheri, Bhandup, Vidyavihar, Colaba, Goregaon, Mulund and Antop Hill, affecting dozens of bus routes and inconveniencing thousands of commuters. At least 214 state transport buses in Mumbai division were cancelled.

Rail, road and air affected
The suburban and long-distance railway services, and air traffic were severely affected. The Central and Western Railway was disrupted due to fallen tree branches, water logging and landslides on the tracks.

Severe wind shear and plummeting visibility disrupted flight operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, triggering widespread delays and forcing multiple flight diversions across the region. At least five flights arriving in Mumbai were diverted and hundreds of flights were delayed.

IMD forecast and rainfall record
According to the Colaba Observatory forecast for the next 24 hours for Mumbai city and suburbs, heavy to very heavy rain is likely at some places, with high possibility of gusty winds gusting to 70 to 80 kmph at times.

As of Sunday morning, the Colaba Observatory recorded rainfall of 1264.5 mm so far this monsoon, which is 61% of the average annual rainfall.

Safety First, Says BMC Chief

As Mumbai witnessed its fifth consecutive day of heavy rain, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide urged civic staff working round the clock to prioritise their safety and health while maintaining essential services.

She directed the fire brigade, storm-water drain, roads, public health and solid waste teams to remain on high alert, ensure rapid water drainage, clear debris and dangerous tree branches, monitor flood-prone locations and maintain close inter-departmental coordination.

She also advised field staff to take precautions against leptospirosis, including prophylactic Doxycycline 200 mg, available at BMC dispensaries.

Safety Advisories for Construction Sites

With heavy rain and gusty winds of 70–80 kmph lashing the city for the past two days, the civic authorities on Monday issued a safety advisory for all construction sites, directing developers and contractors to secure temporary structures and suspend high-risk operations.

The BMC has asked developers, architects, licensed surveyors, contractors and project managers to inspect and secure scaffolding, cranes, tin-sheet barricades, formwork and loose materials, particularly on terraces and upper floors. Excavation sites must be properly barricaded and monitored.

The advisory also directs suspension of lifting operations and work at heights during unsafe weather. Tower cranes, hoists and safety equipment must undergo stability checks, while workers must use prescribed PPE and fall-protection systems.

The civic body has mandated immediate site safety inspections, continuous weather monitoring and strict compliance with safety norms to prevent rain- and wind-related accidents.

Rain Boosts Water Stock to 16.92%

Mumbai received a major boost to its water reserves as heavy rainfall in the catchment areas added 54,000 million litres (ML) of water to the reservoirs in just 24 hours, increasing the available water stock by 14 days in a single day. The sustained rainfall over the past week has resulted in a cumulative addition of 1.44 lakh ML of water, extending Mumbai’s water security by 35 days.

The combined storage across the seven lakes supplying drinking water to the city has now reached 2.44 lakh ML, enough to meet Mumbai’s water demand for approximately 60 days at current consumption levels.

However, to meet the city’s annual drinking water requirement without imposing water cuts, the reservoirs must collectively hold 14.47 lakh ML by October 1.

Drive to Fill Potholes

Heavy rainfall over the past week has heightened the risk of potholes across Mumbai’s road network, prompting the BMC to direct road engineers to identify and repair damaged stretches within 24 hours.

The civic body has launched a city-wide pothole repair drive, covering major roads as well as the Eastern and Western Express Highways, in coordination with the traffic police.

“The engineers have been instructed to carry out round-the-clock inspections and ensure swift repairs to minimise disruption and improve commuter safety during the monsoon,” said a senior civic official.

Leaders Review BMC’s Monsoon Preparedness

Amid heavy rainfall, a delegation of public representatives on Monday visited the BMC’s Disaster Management Control Cell to review the city’s rain situation and the civic body’s preparedness to handle monsoon-related emergencies.

The delegation included Legislative Council deputy chairperson Sachin Ahir, minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi, House Leader Ganesh Khankar and group leader Amey Ghole.

BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and senior civic officials briefed them on the city’s emergency response and preparedness measures.

Public garden closed on July 7

Around 400 trees and 600 branches, including many on private properties, collapsed across Mumbai during two days of heavy rain. The civic teams, along with ward offices, the Disaster Management Cell, the Mumbai Fire Brigade and other agencies, have been clearing fallen trees on a war footing, prioritising locations affecting traffic and public safety.

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of strong winds, the BMC has ordered all municipal parks to remain closed on July 7 as a precaution against falling branches and uprooted trees. The civic body has advised citizens to stay away from parks until weather conditions improve.

540 Pumps Deployed as BMC Races to Prevent Flooding

The BMC deployed 540 of its 547 dewatering pumps over the past three days to tackle waterlogging during the heavy rain spell. Officials said upgraded storm-water drains, desilting works and strengthened drainage infrastructure significantly reduced flooding at several chronic hotspots, while underground storage systems at Hindmata, Gandhi Market and the Milan Subway enabled faster water evacuation and smoother traffic.

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“All six major storm-water pumping stations—Irla (Juhu), Haji Ali (Mahalaxmi), Lovegrove (Worli), Cleveland (Worli Village), Britannia (Reay Road) and Gazdarbandh (Santacruz)—remained operational round the clock. High-capacity pumps were also deployed at vulnerable railway locations, helping prevent flooding on tracks and allowing suburban train services on the Central, Western and Harbour lines to operate largely without disruption,” a civic official said.

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