Mumbai Bounces Back After Monsoon Deluge

Mumbai exhaled a collective sigh of relief on Wednesday as the intensity of torrential rains subsided, allowing the city to regain normalcy after a chaotic Tuesday that saw flooded roads, submerged rail tracks, and disrupted public transport. The city’s lifeline, its local trains, roared back to life, and schools and offices reopened, signaling a return to routine.

Intermittent showers continued overnight, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported a significant drop in rainfall intensity, with an orange alert for heavy showers on Wednesday and a forecast for further relief from Thursday.

The IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded 209 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am, while Colaba logged 107.4 mm. Other areas like Vikhroli (229.5 mm), Mumbai airport (208 mm), and Byculla (193.5 mm) bore the brunt of Tuesday’s downpour, with the city averaging over 100 mm in a 22-hour period.

The Central Railway’s Harbour line, connecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Panvel, resumed operations at 3 am Wednesday after a 15-hour suspension due to waterlogged tracks, bringing relief to millions of commuters. Main line services between CSMT and Thane had restarted Tuesday evening after an eight-hour halt.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed that all local train services—Central, Western, and Harbour lines—along with BEST bus operations, were running smoothly by Wednesday morning. The BMC’s disaster response teams remained on high alert, with civic machinery working round-the-clock to manage any emergencies.

Also Read: Mumbai Rains: Torrential Downpour Claims Lives, Disrupts City Life

The relentless rains, which dumped 875.1 mm on Mumbai between August 15 and 20, also wreaked havoc on Maharashtra’s agricultural sector. State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to declare a “wet drought” and provide Rs 50,000 per hectare to farmers, citing damage to crops across 15 lakh acres in Marathwada, Vidarbha, Western Maharashtra, and Konkan. Major crops like jowar, bajra, soybean, and sugarcane suffered extensive losses. Fadnavis acknowledged damage to 12-14 lakh acres, with crop damage assessments underway.

Posts on X reflected mixed sentiments, with some users praising Mumbai’s resilience and the BMC’s efforts, while others criticized the state’s preparedness, pointing to new flood spots near Atal Setu and persistent waterlogging issues. As Mumbai recovers, the focus shifts to supporting affected farmers and strengthening infrastructure to withstand future monsoons.

Also Read: Mumbai Submerged: Torrential Downpours Bring City to a Standstill