How heavy rain cut off Mumbai from three sides and turned it into a virtual island
Three days of heavy rain have crippled Mumbai's road and rail links, stranding commuters across key routes. With more downpours forecast, the IMD has issued a Red Alert and tightened emergency measures.
Three days of continuous rainfall have brought Mumbai and its neighbouring areas to a standstill, severing the road and rail arteries that connect India's financial capital to the rest of the country and leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
By Monday morning, the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad highway, and the Mumbai–Konkan route had either been closed or placed under severe restrictions, bringing intercity movement to a near standstill.
The Expressway was the worst hit. A landslide near the exit of Tunnel 2 forced a diversion on the Pune–Mumbai carriageway of the newly opened 'Missing Link', a 13-kilometre bypass through the Sahyadri mountains that had opened two months ago.
Nearly 100 tonnes of debris fell at a location where, according to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, such an incident had never occurred before. The 'Missing Link' was eventually opened for vehicular traffic as the day came to a close.
On the Mumbai–Ahmedabad highway, waterlogging has choked traffic. Efforts to drain flood water are underway, but traffic movement remains painfully slow. Near Nagothane on the Konkan route, severe waterlogging has left commuters stranded for over 24 hours with little sign of improvement.
Train services between Pune and Mumbai were suspended after landslides struck the Thakurwadi and Monkey Hill sections, sending debris onto the tracks. Trains arriving from Gujarat were halted mid-journey, leaving passengers stuck in coaches for hours.
Over 20 long-distance trains on the Western Railway remain stranded across Mumbai and south Gujarat, with over 40 services impacted. At least 10 have been cancelled, eight rescheduled, and several others diverted.
DEATHS, DAMAGE, DISRUPTION
Thirteen people have died in rain-related incidents over the past three to four days across Mumbai and Pune regions, according to Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan.
Two people were killed after their house was buried in a landslide at Patan village in Pune's Maval tehsil. Another was swept away on a flooded road in Pune's Khed.
A fireman was injured while clearing a large uprooted tree, and a billboard and two walls collapsed in Thane. In Palghar, strong winds blew away tin-roofed sheds and uprooted trees at a residential school. Some parts of Palghar recorded nearly 300 mm of rainfall in just two hours by 9 AM on Monday.
Both houses of the state legislature were adjourned in view of the heavy rains. The Bombay High Court assured lawyers that no adverse orders would be passed if they were unable to reach court.
MORE RAIN LIKELY IN MMR
The India Meteorological Department has warned the situation could worsen, forecasting two more days of heavy rainfall. A red alert has been issued for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Nashik, and Trimbakeshwar, with the possibility of cloudburst-like conditions and rainfall exceeding 300 mm in isolated areas.
Notably, Mumbai, Thane and Raigad form the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which has already recorded heavy rainfall after the late arrival of monsoon.
The Maharashtra CM specifically warned of a possible cloudburst in parts of Nashik on Tuesday and said the state government was keeping "a close watch" until at least July 8.
Fadnavis, addressing a press conference after reviewing the situation at the State Disaster Management control room, described the landslide as "an unprecedented event" and called the extreme rainfall a "force majeure" situation.
He said NDRF teams have been pre-positioned in vulnerable areas, while SDRF teams have been redeployed based on the latest weather alerts. The Chief Minister added that the State Disaster Management and BMC control rooms would function round the clock.
Residents have been urged to stay indoors, avoid waterfalls and tourist spots, and refrain from all non-essential travel. The State Disaster Management Authority has advised private offices to allow employees to work from home and announced a half-day for non-essential and semi-government offices.
OPPOSITION UPS POLITICAL HEAT
The flooding has also triggered a political storm. Opposition legislators raised slogans on the steps of Vidhan Bhavan. They accused the Fadnavis administration of failing to protect citizens and pointed to what they called "crumbling infrastructure" exposed by the rains.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve demanded accountability after the concrete pillar on the 'Missing Link' carriageway collapsed, and sought action against the contractor.
Congress leader Satej Patil sought details of a BMC survey on unsafe trees, after the CM revealed that 350 trees had fallen on Sunday alone, which was way higher than the monsoon average of 800 for the entire season.
Three days of continuous rainfall have brought Mumbai and its neighbouring areas to a standstill, severing the road and rail arteries that connect India's financial capital to the rest of the country and leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
By Monday morning, the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad highway, and the Mumbai–Konkan route had either been closed or placed under severe restrictions, bringing intercity movement to a near standstill.
The Expressway was the worst hit. A landslide near the exit of Tunnel 2 forced a diversion on the Pune–Mumbai carriageway of the newly opened 'Missing Link', a 13-kilometre bypass through the Sahyadri mountains that had opened two months ago.
Nearly 100 tonnes of debris fell at a location where, according to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, such an incident had never occurred before. The 'Missing Link' was eventually opened for vehicular traffic as the day came to a close.
On the Mumbai–Ahmedabad highway, waterlogging has choked traffic. Efforts to drain flood water are underway, but traffic movement remains painfully slow. Near Nagothane on the Konkan route, severe waterlogging has left commuters stranded for over 24 hours with little sign of improvement.
Train services between Pune and Mumbai were suspended after landslides struck the Thakurwadi and Monkey Hill sections, sending debris onto the tracks. Trains arriving from Gujarat were halted mid-journey, leaving passengers stuck in coaches for hours.
Over 20 long-distance trains on the Western Railway remain stranded across Mumbai and south Gujarat, with over 40 services impacted. At least 10 have been cancelled, eight rescheduled, and several others diverted.
DEATHS, DAMAGE, DISRUPTION
Thirteen people have died in rain-related incidents over the past three to four days across Mumbai and Pune regions, according to Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan.
Two people were killed after their house was buried in a landslide at Patan village in Pune's Maval tehsil. Another was swept away on a flooded road in Pune's Khed.
A fireman was injured while clearing a large uprooted tree, and a billboard and two walls collapsed in Thane. In Palghar, strong winds blew away tin-roofed sheds and uprooted trees at a residential school. Some parts of Palghar recorded nearly 300 mm of rainfall in just two hours by 9 AM on Monday.
Both houses of the state legislature were adjourned in view of the heavy rains. The Bombay High Court assured lawyers that no adverse orders would be passed if they were unable to reach court.
MORE RAIN LIKELY IN MMR
The India Meteorological Department has warned the situation could worsen, forecasting two more days of heavy rainfall. A red alert has been issued for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Nashik, and Trimbakeshwar, with the possibility of cloudburst-like conditions and rainfall exceeding 300 mm in isolated areas.
Notably, Mumbai, Thane and Raigad form the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which has already recorded heavy rainfall after the late arrival of monsoon.
The Maharashtra CM specifically warned of a possible cloudburst in parts of Nashik on Tuesday and said the state government was keeping "a close watch" until at least July 8.
Fadnavis, addressing a press conference after reviewing the situation at the State Disaster Management control room, described the landslide as "an unprecedented event" and called the extreme rainfall a "force majeure" situation.
He said NDRF teams have been pre-positioned in vulnerable areas, while SDRF teams have been redeployed based on the latest weather alerts. The Chief Minister added that the State Disaster Management and BMC control rooms would function round the clock.
Residents have been urged to stay indoors, avoid waterfalls and tourist spots, and refrain from all non-essential travel. The State Disaster Management Authority has advised private offices to allow employees to work from home and announced a half-day for non-essential and semi-government offices.
OPPOSITION UPS POLITICAL HEAT
The flooding has also triggered a political storm. Opposition legislators raised slogans on the steps of Vidhan Bhavan. They accused the Fadnavis administration of failing to protect citizens and pointed to what they called "crumbling infrastructure" exposed by the rains.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve demanded accountability after the concrete pillar on the 'Missing Link' carriageway collapsed, and sought action against the contractor.
Congress leader Satej Patil sought details of a BMC survey on unsafe trees, after the CM revealed that 350 trees had fallen on Sunday alone, which was way higher than the monsoon average of 800 for the entire season.
