Mumbai: Relentless and heavy rainfall battered Mumbai and its metropolitan regions for the fifth day in running on Saturday, inundating roads, impacting road- rail traffic, and throwing normal life out of gear. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a Red Alert, schools and colleges remained shut for the afternoon session, while several roads were closed as floodwaters submerged key stretches across the city. The downpour also triggered multiple tree falls, house collapse and a road cave-in at Bhandup. Two persons were injured.
After a delayed onset, the monsoon arrived with full force, dumping over 100 mm of rain across several parts of Mumbai in just 24 hours ending 8 am on Saturday. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bandra (H West) recorded the highest rainfall at 150.6 mm, followed by Vikhroli (143 mm), Parel (141.8 mm), Ghatkopar (136.4 mm) and Matunga-Dadar (135.2 mm). The city received an average of 99 mm of rainfall, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 98 mm and 94 mm, respectively. The downpour intensified through the day. Between 8 am and 4 pm on Saturday, the eastern suburbs bore the brunt with 125 mm of rainfall, followed by the western suburbs with 111 mm, while the island city recorded 47 mm.
Heavy water logging, road closed
The IMD's Red Alert for extremely heavy rainfall prompted the BMC to suspend afternoon classes in all schools and colleges across Mumbai on Saturday, as relentless rain inundated several low-lying areas and crippled traffic. Waterlogging was reported from key stretches in Andheri, Sakinaka, Kurla, Chembur, Powai, Bhandup, Vile Parle, Santacruz, Goregaon and Dahisar. With a 4.26-metre high tide at 2.50 pm coinciding with the downpour, stormwater discharge slowed significantly, forcing the BMC to shut several arterial roads, including the Andheri Subway, Veera Desai Road, Swami Vivekanand Road, Noor-e-Ilahi Service Road (Chembur), Huma Mall Junction, Gandhinagar Junction and Paresh Parkar marg Market Road. Motorists were advised to avoid the affected stretches.
Railways services affected
Heavy rain and waterlogging hit Mumbai's suburban rail network on Saturday, inconveniencing thousands of commuters stranded as services on the Western, Central and Harbour lines ran behind schedule. Said Ashwin Salunkhe, a commuter: ``Delays added to the rush making travel hellish." The Western Railway bore the brunt, with trains delayed by 25–30 minutes after tracks at Nallasopara and Vasai Road were inundated. Poor visibility and a goods train locomotive failure near Kelve Road further compounded the disruption, forcing several trains to be halted en route. On the Central Railway, a speed restriction near Vikhroli delayed main line services by up to 30 minutes, while Harbour Line trains were running around 15 minutes late, adding to the monsoon chaos.
Rain Triggers Spate of Tree Falls
The relentless downpour also triggered a spate of tree falls across Mumbai, damaging several vehicles and disrupting traffic. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recorded 91 incidents of tree and branch falls in the 24 hours ending 8 am on Saturday, with another 36 incidents reported by 4 pm. Among the major incidents, a tree crashed at LD Ruparel Marg, another at Meenatai Thackeray Flower Market in Dadar, causing losses to traders, while a massive tree at Maheshwari Udyan in Matunga toppled onto several parked vehicles, damaging them extensively. Fortunately no casualties were reported.
Road Cave-In, House Collapse
A nearly 100 ft × 100 ft stretch of LBS Marg in Bhandup (West) caved in near an under-construction site in the afternoon, leaving a massive crater and disrupting traffic. A tempo parked at the site fell into the excavation pit after the road surface gave way. No casualty were reported. In a separate incident, a ground-plus-one structure collapsed on G lane at Baingan wadi, injuring a man and a woman. Both were admitted to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where their condition was reported to be stable. Another portion of the vacant Noor Mahal building on C.G. High School Lane also collapsed. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Red Alert Continues
The IMD has extended its Red Alert for Mumbai and Thane through Sunday, with Palghar remaining under the highest weather warning till Monday, as the state braces for another spell of extremely heavy rainfall and gusty winds of up to 60 kmph. Heavy rain alerts also remain in place for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, while the ghat regions of Satara, Pune and Nashik are likely to receive moderate to heavy showers. Warning that the persistent downpour could trigger flooding, traffic disruptions and localised structural damage, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appealed to residents of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and the Pune-Nashik belt to avoid non-essential travel and strictly follow official weather advisories until July 6. "We have requested people to avoid travel if possible so that accidents caused by heavy rain and storms can be prevented. Citizens should follow official alerts and venture out only in accordance with the advisories. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and state Disaster Management Cell are closely monitoring the situation," he added.
Thane: Rain Cripples Transport, Tree Fall Injures Two
Relentless rain battered Thane district on Saturday, with the city recording 65.79 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 1.30 pm, taking the seasonal tally to 829.84 mm. The downpour inundated several low-lying areas in Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Navi Mumbai and Badlapur, disrupting traffic and slowing daily life. In Kalwa, two motorists were injured after a tree crashed onto them, while another tree damaged a parked car in Vashi. Waterlogging at multiple locations further affected vehicular movement across the district.
Palghar: Flooded Roads
Palghar continued to reel under heavy rain, receiving 97.70 mm between 8.30 am and 1.30 pm, taking the district's seasonal rainfall to 643.10 mm. Emergency teams shifted residents from flooded houses in Vasai, while flooding forced the closure of the Palghar–Boisar Road at Kolgaon Bridge and blocked the Manor–Waghoba Ghat highway after an uprooted tree fell across the road. Several interior roads and bridges were also shut as rivers overflowed.
Six students rescued in Palghar
In a separate incident, six college students were rescued after getting stranded in dense fog and torrential rain while descending Tandulwadi Fort in Palghar district, police said on Saturday. The group—four men and two women from Nalasopara, Virar and Dahanu—lost their way on Friday evening after slippery trails and poor visibility left them trapped in a forested stretch. Following a distress call to the Dial 112 emergency helpline, a team from Saphale Police Station, assisted by local villagers, launched a rescue operation and safely brought all six tourists down from the fort despite hostile weather conditions. Following the incident, police urged tourists to avoid trekking to forts, waterfalls and other remote destinations during the ongoing spell of heavy rain and to immediately dial 112 in case of emergencies.
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