Mumbai Rains Disrupt Normal Life: Waterlogged Streets Trigger Meme Storm Amid IMD's Red Alert

The early onset of the southwest monsoon in Mumbai on Monday caused widespread disruption, leading to waterlogged roads, delayed train services and traffic disruptions, bringing daily life across the city to a standstill. This marks the earliest onset of monsoon season in Mumbai in 35 years, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Typically, monsoon arrives in Mumbai on June 11, but this year it has arrived nearly 17 days earlier.

With more rains expected today and tomorrow, the IMD has issued a red alert for several parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai and other districts like Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.

On the very first day of the monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s preparedness came under severe criticism due to waterlogged roads and flooding in many parts. Overnight rains clogged the city, leading to severe disruptions as residents struggled with waterlogged roads and delayed local trains and buses.

Public frustration was evident on social media, where users shared memes and posts criticising the Mumbai civic body’s preparedness. Videos circulated online showed parts of the city submerged, with water reaching knee to waist levels in some areas. Notably, the newly inaugurated Worli underground metro station was seen flooded this morning.

“Now Mumbai riches will post photos of aesthetic rains from sea-faced apartments while commoners will suffer from waterlogging and train cancellations,” an X user identified as @ajisuniyeto said, while sharing a famous post-rain scene from the South Korean movie Parasite.

“Rains continuously for five mins. Infrastructure of the financial capital of India,” another post took a jibe, sharing a photo of a patient lying in a hospital bed.

Another 10-second viral video featured a man casually surfing through a waterlogged street while lying on a floating mat.

“Raining continuously for five mins in Mumbai. Ola/Uber Drivers,” One viral meme captured the sentiment with a clip of Emraan Hashmi from the movie Jannat. The meme was a dig at the predatory surge pricing by cab aggregators during monsoon disruptions.

While memes may offer a slight distraction to users amid the chaos, the problem is far from over. The IMD Mumbai has predicted heavy rain in the city till Wednesday. After Monday's red alert, a yellow alert will be in place for the next two days. Light to moderate rain is expected after that, the weather forecaster said in its latest bulletin.