Mumbai, coastal Maharashtra on red alert as rains trigger flight delays, flooding, death

Mumbai and large parts of Maharashtra remained on high alert on Sunday (July 5) after relentless overnight rain battered the state, triggering severe waterlogging, flight disruptions, building collapses, tree falls, a fresh rain-related death and widespread traffic chaos.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) retained its red alert for the financial capital and Thane, warning of more extremely heavy rainfall and gusty winds over the next 24 hours. The latest fatality came when a 63-year-old man was crushed by a falling tree in Mumbai's Kurla, days after an 11-year-old schoolboy was killed in a similar incident when a tree collapsed on his school bus.

The regional Met office also issued red alert for Mumbai and coastal districts such as Thane, Palghar, Sindhudurg, Raigad and Ratnagiri for Sunday and Monday (July 6).

Also read: Monsoon lashes India: Rain cripples Mumbai, schools shut; several coastal states on alert

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) urged residents not to venture out unless necessary, warning of continued heavy rain, waterlogging and high tides. Citizens have also been advised to avoid low-lying areas and coastal stretches, with a high tide of 4.19 metres expected on Sunday afternoon and another of 3.51 metres early Monday (June 6). The civic body asked residents to contact its emergency helpline, 1916, in case of any distress.

City transport, air traffic hit

Mumbai witnessed one of its wettest spells of the season, with several areas receiving more than 200 mm of rainfall in just 24 hours. According to BMC data, Vikhroli West recorded the highest rainfall at 310.6 millimetres, followed by Colaba Pumping Station (306.6 mm) and Tagore Nagar Municipal School in Vikhroli (301.8 mm). Several other areas, including Malabar Hill, Colaba, Powai, Bhandup, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Chakala and Aarey Colony, also crossed the 200 mm mark.

Despite the heavy rain, Metro and BEST bus services continued to operate normally on Sunday morning, although suburban train services reported delays after tracks were submerged on Saturday (July 4). Metro Line 2A, running between Dahisar East and Andheri West, also witnessed disruptions due to a technical snag.

Also read: Himachal rain fury: 5 dead across state; 30 pilgrims stranded as Chamba bridge collapses

The downpour also affected air traffic. Operations at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were suspended for an hour between 10.17 am and 11.17 am because of poor visibility and wind speeds touching 42 knots. The temporary closure led to widespread flight disruptions, with live flight tracker Flightradar24 showing that 87 per cent of departures were delayed while 62 per cent of arriving flights also landed behind schedule.

Airport authorities said normal operations resumed after weather conditions improved, although they did not disclose the number of cancellations. One report said at least 18 flights were cancelled while 184 got delayed.

Rain-related accidents across the state

Rain-related incidents continued to mount across Mumbai. In the latest tragedy, 63-year-old Yunus Hakimuddin Sheikh was killed after a tree collapsed on him in Kurla while he was preparing a recently purchased shop for its opening. Residents alleged that civic officials took nearly two hours to reach the spot after the incident. The death has renewed concerns over the condition of ageing trees in Mumbai, with residents and experts pointing to factors such as unchecked urban construction, concretisation around tree roots and inadequate maintenance that weaken trees during the monsoon.

The incident comes just days after 11-year-old Vihaan Srivastava was killed and four other schoolchildren were injured when a tree collapsed on their school bus.

In another incident on Sunday, a tree also collapsed in front of industrialist Mukesh Ambani's security convoy in Bandra, briefly disrupting traffic before civic teams cleared the obstruction. Several other instances of tree falls, road cave-ins and minor structural damage were reported across the city as the heavy rain continued.

In Pune, the compound wall of a residential society in the Katraj area collapsed onto a parking shed around 3 am, damaging 14 vehicles, including seven cars and seven two-wheelers. Fire brigade teams rescued the trapped vehicles after cutting through twisted iron structures. No injuries were reported.

Thane district witnessed widespread flooding after nearly 185 mm of rainfall in 24 hours. The Regional Disaster Management Cell received 93 emergency complaints, including incidents of tree falls, waterlogging, wall collapses and a landslide. Flooding was reported from Thane city, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Navi Mumbai, with some residents claiming they remained stranded for over 48 hours due to poor drainage and inadequate pre-monsoon desilting.

Also read: Mumbai receives over 100 mm of rain in 24 hours; brace for more showers, says IMD

Two people were injured after a balcony of the 45-year-old Tiwari Bhawan building in Thane's Wagle Estate collapsed. Authorities evacuated the entire building and shifted affected residents to a temporary civic shelter. In Navi Mumbai's Belapur, a balcony slab collapse forced the evacuation of all 17 flats in a residential building. While no casualties were reported, residents were relocated to municipal shelters and relatives' homes.

Continuous rainfall was also reported from Palghar district, although officials said there were no reports of major damage or casualties.

Monsoon intensifies in eastern India

While Maharashtra bore the brunt of the current spell, the monsoon system has also intensified over eastern India. A well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal has strengthened into a depression and is expected to cross the north Odisha coast between Chandbali (Odisha) and Digha (West Bengal), prompting authorities to place all districts in Odisha on alert.

The IMD has issued a red warning for Sambalpur, Angul, Boudh, Sonepur and Kandhamal districts of Odisha, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall, while 19 districts remain under an orange alert. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea between July 5 and July 7 due to rough sea conditions.

Odisha has already recorded widespread rainfall, with Khajurpada in Kandhamal receiving 276 mm in the past 24 hours. State capital Bhubaneswar and Cuttack received over 119 mm and 124 mm, respectively.

Heavy rain in West Bengal

Southern Bengal is likely to receive moderate rainfall until Tuesday (July 7), offering relief to districts that have so far recorded deficient monsoon rainfall. Heavy to very heavy rain has been forecast for South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts of the state.

Also read: Why is India seeing snowfall, hailstorms and rain in March?

The IMD has also forecast heavy rainfall over the sub-Himalayan districts, including Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, later this week. Kolkata is expected to witness a cloudy sky with intermittent spells of rain.