Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Jul 21: Heavy overnight downpour brought Mumbai to a grinding halt on Monday, leaving several low-lying areas submerged and severely impacting traffic and transport services across the city.

Among the worst-hit areas was the Andheri subway, which had to be shut down after being completely waterlogged. Visuals showed floodwaters engulfing the stretch, even as a local train crossed the bridge above.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai and Raigad, while a 'yellow' alert remains in place for Thane and Palghar. The weather office has warned of intermittent intense showers over the next 24 hours in Mumbai and the Konkan belt.

As a high tide of 3.88 metres surged at 9:19 am, the IMD also advised people to stay away from seashores and avoid stepping out unless absolutely necessary. Another high tide, measuring 3.42 metres, is expected at 8:31 pm.

With the city inundated, airlines like IndiGo and SpiceJet issued travel advisories urging passengers to plan ahead due to delayed flights and traffic snarls en route to the airport.

"Several routes towards the airport are witnessing slow-moving traffic. Check your flight status and leave early," IndiGo stated on X. SpiceJet also cautioned that both departures and arrivals could be affected due to inclement weather.

Mumbai has been under the grip of heavy rains since the early monsoon onset. As per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), water stock in the seven reservoirs supplying the city had reached 81.86 per cent of total capacity by July 19.