Monsoon Rains Bring Mumbai to a Standstill

New York Times

5 hours ago

Torrential downpours in Mumbai brought India's financial capital to a near standstill on Monday and Tuesday, disrupting travel, stranding commuters and forcing thousands to wade through water, some of it waist-deep, to reach their homes and offices.
Although heavy monsoons are common in Mumbai, scientists at the Indian Meteorological Department expect the city to surpass the record for August of 48 inches of rainfall, set in 2020.
More than 300 people were evacuated from low-lying areas along a nine-mile stretch of the Mithi River that flows through Mumbai because it had reached dangerous levels. In July 2005, the river breached its banks in catastrophic floods that killed 900 people.
With an estimated 18 million people, Mumbai is the capital of the western Indian state of Maharashtra. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from other parts of the state because of heavy rains, which killed at least five people, according to state disaster management officials.
With local train service in Mumbai disrupted by rains, commuters crowded into the city's elevated monorails as an alternative. On Tuesday, two elevated trains were temporarily stuck between stations, trapping nearly 800 passengers for hours.
Shrijita Bhattacharya, a lawyer in Mumbai, said it took her twice as long to reach home from the airport on Monday because of road logjams. 'Traffic was moving at snail's pace on some parts on my way,' Ms. Bhattacharya said. By Wednesday, though, Ms. Bhattarcharya said things were 'mostly already normal,' as she made her way to the airport.