Mumbai and surrounding districts woke up to comparatively lighter rains on Thursday, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) further scaled down its advisory to a yellow alert.
This marks a notable improvement from earlier in the week when the city was placed under a red alert on Monday and Tuesday, followed by an orange alert on Wednesday.
The gradual downgrade of alerts has reinforced expectations that the intensity of showers will continue to reduce, with the monsoon likely to retreat by the end of the week.
The yellow alert for Thursday has been issued for Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri, all of which faced heavy rainfall and disruption earlier. Unlike the previous days, only isolated heavy showers are expected across these regions.
City slowly returns to routine
As rainfall weakened, Mumbai’s daily rhythm began to recover.
Local train services, which were thrown off track by flooding, resumed operations across all lines, bringing significant relief to commuters.
Suburban services on the Harbour and Main lines, which had been suspended for hours due to waterlogging, were restored, while road transport and BEST buses ran smoothly. Schools and colleges reopened on Wednesday, and offices reported a visible improvement in attendance as residents ventured out without fear of sudden cloudbursts.
Adding to the sense of relief, no airlines have issued advisories for Thursday, in contrast to earlier in the week when flight schedules were heavily disrupted.
Extent of earlier deluge
While the downpour has eased, data from the IMD highlights how severely the city was battered earlier this week.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Santacruz observatory recorded 209 mm of rain, while Colaba registered 107.4 mm. Neighbourhoods such as Vikhroli (229.5 mm), the airport area (208 mm), Byculla (193.5 mm), Juhu (150 mm) and Bandra (137.5 mm) also saw intense showers that inundated roads, rail tracks and residential areas.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the island city recorded an average of 131.51 mm rainfall, while the eastern suburbs logged 159.66 mm and the western suburbs 150.60 mm during the 22-hour period ending at 6 am Wednesday.
Flood impact mingers in state
Even as Mumbai shows signs of returning to normalcy, parts of neighbouring districts remain affected.
In Thane, a tree collapse in Wagle Estate destabilised a security wall, while in Palghar, several low-lying areas were flooded, forcing evacuations by rescue teams including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Residents in vulnerable areas were shifted to safer locations and temporary shelters.
The toll of heavy rains extends beyond urban areas.
Farmers across Maharashtra are facing severe losses, with officials estimating damage to crops spread over 12 to 15 lakh acres. Major crops such as soybean, cotton, tur, maize, fruits and vegetables have been hit in Marathwada, Vidarbha, Konkan and Western Maharashtra, while sugarcane cultivation has also suffered.
Opposition leaders have urged the state government to declare a “wet drought” and release immediate financial relief of Rs 50,000 per hectare.
(With PTI inputs)
This marks a notable improvement from earlier in the week when the city was placed under a red alert on Monday and Tuesday, followed by an orange alert on Wednesday.
The gradual downgrade of alerts has reinforced expectations that the intensity of showers will continue to reduce, with the monsoon likely to retreat by the end of the week.
The yellow alert for Thursday has been issued for Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri, all of which faced heavy rainfall and disruption earlier. Unlike the previous days, only isolated heavy showers are expected across these regions.
City slowly returns to routine
As rainfall weakened, Mumbai’s daily rhythm began to recover.
Local train services, which were thrown off track by flooding, resumed operations across all lines, bringing significant relief to commuters.
Suburban services on the Harbour and Main lines, which had been suspended for hours due to waterlogging, were restored, while road transport and BEST buses ran smoothly. Schools and colleges reopened on Wednesday, and offices reported a visible improvement in attendance as residents ventured out without fear of sudden cloudbursts.
Adding to the sense of relief, no airlines have issued advisories for Thursday, in contrast to earlier in the week when flight schedules were heavily disrupted.
Extent of earlier deluge
While the downpour has eased, data from the IMD highlights how severely the city was battered earlier this week.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Santacruz observatory recorded 209 mm of rain, while Colaba registered 107.4 mm. Neighbourhoods such as Vikhroli (229.5 mm), the airport area (208 mm), Byculla (193.5 mm), Juhu (150 mm) and Bandra (137.5 mm) also saw intense showers that inundated roads, rail tracks and residential areas.
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the island city recorded an average of 131.51 mm rainfall, while the eastern suburbs logged 159.66 mm and the western suburbs 150.60 mm during the 22-hour period ending at 6 am Wednesday.
Flood impact mingers in state
Even as Mumbai shows signs of returning to normalcy, parts of neighbouring districts remain affected.
In Thane, a tree collapse in Wagle Estate destabilised a security wall, while in Palghar, several low-lying areas were flooded, forcing evacuations by rescue teams including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Residents in vulnerable areas were shifted to safer locations and temporary shelters.
The toll of heavy rains extends beyond urban areas.
Farmers across Maharashtra are facing severe losses, with officials estimating damage to crops spread over 12 to 15 lakh acres. Major crops such as soybean, cotton, tur, maize, fruits and vegetables have been hit in Marathwada, Vidarbha, Konkan and Western Maharashtra, while sugarcane cultivation has also suffered.
Opposition leaders have urged the state government to declare a “wet drought” and release immediate financial relief of Rs 50,000 per hectare.
(With PTI inputs)
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