Heavy rainfall coupled with strong winds triggered massive traffic congestion across Thane and Bhiwandi on Thursday, leaving commuters stranded for hours as waterlogging, fallen trees and vehicle breakdowns disrupted normal traffic movement.
Long queues of vehicles were reported on major roads, including the Ghodbunder Road stretch, Bhiwandi-Anjur Phata and several internal roads. Social media platforms were flooded with videos and photographs showing vehicles crawling through flooded roads and commuters stuck in gridlock.
According to weather updates, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including Thane, Kalyan and parts of western and central Mumbai, witnessed one of the wettest spells of the week. Weather observers predicted 150–200 mm of rainfall in several areas, accompanied by strong westerly winds exceeding 40 knots over the North Konkan coast, including Mumbai, Thane and Palghar.
The strong winds are expected to continue through the day before easing from Friday. Residents in Bhiwandi urged authorities to immediately restrict the entry of multi-axle vehicles from outside the city during the daytime, claiming that traffic had come to a standstill. Several commuters said journeys that usually take a few minutes stretched to more than three hours, while schoolchildren remained trapped in traffic for extended periods
Many commuters criticised the authorities on social media.
Several users also tagged the Thane Traffic Police and Thane City Police, seeking immediate intervention. Responding to one such complaint regarding chaotic traffic on Ghodbunder Road, the Thane City Police said the matter had been reported to the Traffic Control Room.
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Authorities have advised motorists to avoid non-essential travel, drive cautiously and follow official traffic advisories until weather conditions improve.
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