Mumbai: Vehicles move on a flooded road after heavy monsoon rainfall, in Mumbai, Monday, May 26, 2025
| Photo Credit: PTI

Mumbai woke up to heavy rain and thunderstorms on Monday (May 26, 2025), with several parts of the city receiving over 200 mm of rainfall, according to the civic body. Transportation services took a hit as waterlogging was reported in several areas, including the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital and the newly inaugurated Metro 3 Aqua Line station.

This drew criticism from the Opposition and citizens, who raised concerns over people’s safety amid the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) poor monsoon preparedness.

The coastal observatory in Colaba and Sant Cruz recorded 144 mm and 74.3mm of rainfall, respectively, till 5.30 p.m., according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Colaba Coastal Observatory recorded the highest rainfall this May at 300 mm, breaking the record from 1918 when 279.4 mm rainfall was recorded in May.

Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) was forced to suspend operations on the Metro Line 3 between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli on Monday after heavy rains inundated the newly inaugurated underground Acharya Atre Chowk station, causing extensive damage.

The MMRC has not revealed the extent of damage, however, the water retaining wall erected to protect the structures on the entry and exit routes of the metro line has collapsed. MMRC claimed that the incident occurred due to a sudden inflow of water from a sewage drain in the area along Annie Besant Road.

MMRC officials clarified that the completion of permanent wall work was to be completed in the next three months, so the temporary wall work was in progress, with June 10 being the tentative date. “With the early onset of monsoon and heavy downpour, the temporary structure collapsed,” as per the MMRC statement.

Charges of corruption

Flagging reports of flooding and waterlogging, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray criticised the government for its poor monsoon preparedness. “The metro station was inaugurated two weeks ago, but now it will be inaccessible to the public.”

He also slammed the civic administration, saying that those who claimed to be visionaries and infrastructure experts were now busy distributing money to corporators and politicians.

“The civic administration has been warned about the need for drain cleaning for the past two months. However, the BMC hasn’t taken any meetings regarding pre-monsoon preparations,” he added.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshavardhan Sapkal also slammed the BJP-led alliance and BMC administration for failing to address the waterlogging issue of Mumbai. “With the very first heavy rain of the season, the corruption of the State government and municipal administration was exposed as Mumbai’s streets turned into drains. The BMC spends crores of rupees annually on pre-monsoon works and drain-cleaning, yet every year tells the same story. It is because contractors and those in power are looting public money,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also targeted the government for corruption, saying, “In a single rainfall event, Mumbai not only faced flooding but also witnessed waterlogging in the metro tunnel, exposing corruption. There has been rampant misuse of public funds since the BMC has been under the control of the BJP and Eknath Shinde.”

“I urge my Shiv Sainiks to lend a helping hand to the people affected by the rainfall. We will take action against those responsible for the mismanagement and corruption,” he said.

With the increase in rain, IMD put Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Pune and Ratnagiri on red alert on Monday (May 26, 2025) afternoon. “The monsoon has arrived 16 days early to Mumbai. Looking at the synoptic situations, the orange alert was updated to red alert for Mumbai, Thane, and other ghat regions,” said Shubhangi Bhute, the head of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai.

The early onset was due to the low-pressure area over the Arabian Sea and the change in wind direction. This was the first time since 1956 that Mumbai has witnessed the early onset of monsoon, as per the IMD data.

According to the BMC, Nariman Point Fire Station received 252 mm of rainfall from midnight on May 25 to 11 a.m. on May 26, followed by BMC Headquarters (214 mm), Colaba Gauging Station (207 mm), Netra Hospital, Don Tank (202 mm), C Ward Office (Chandanwadi, Marine Lines) (180 mm), Memonwada Fire Station: (183 mm), Britannia Gauging Station, Worli (171 mm), Nariyalwadi School, Santacruz (103 mm), Supari Tank, and Bandra (101 mm).

Disruptions due to rain

The heavy rainfall has caused disruptions to transport systems in Mumbai as waterlogging was reported in several areas, including Dadar TT flyover, Saki Naka in Andheri, Hindmata Junction, Worli Naka, and Elphinstone Bridge. As this led to traffic congestion, several BEST buses were also diverted, while the local train services were terminated at the suburban stations Kurla, Dadar and Parel due to waterlogging between Byculla – CSMT, later restored, as per the Central Railway PRO, Swapnil Nila.

According to BMC, around 25 cases of short circuits, 45 tree/branches felling, and nine incidents of partial house collapse were reported across Mumbai city and suburban areas. One person, identified as Sairaj Pawar (24), was injured and admitted to St. George Hospital.