Heavy rain brought relief from the heat but left Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and several other parts of India battling waterlogging, traffic snarls, tree falls and flight disruptions.
Heavy monsoon rain and strong winds disrupted normal life across several parts of India on Sunday, with Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Maharashtra’s Konkan belt, Odisha and Gujarat reporting waterlogging, traffic delays, tree falls and flight disruptions.
In Delhi, showers brought relief from humidity but also triggered fresh civic concerns. A tree was uprooted on August Kranti Marg in South Delhi and fell near a parked car, narrowly missing major damage. Traffic movement slowed in several stretches as rain and gusty winds affected visibility and road conditions. The IMD has forecast moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, across several parts of Delhi, including South, East, Central, New Delhi and West Delhi.
In neighbouring Gurugram, heavy rain led to waterlogging in sectors 10, 11A, 15, 29, Sushant Lok, Laxman Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Sheetla Colony and Sector 5. Vehicles were seen moving through flooded roads, raising questions over the city’s drainage preparedness despite repeated claims by civic agencies that desilting and rainwater management work had been completed before the monsoon.
Mumbai and its adjoining districts remained among the worst hit. A 63-year-old man, Yunus Kundawala, died after a tree fell on a shop in Kurla West, while an 18-year-old youth died after a tree branch fell on him in Aarey Colony during heavy rain on Saturday. Several incidents of tree falls, wall collapses, short circuits and waterlogging were reported across the city and suburbs.
Flight operations at Mumbai airport were also hit. Runway operations were suspended for about an hour on Sunday due to heavy rain, poor visibility and gusty winds. Four IndiGo flights were cancelled and 13 aircraft were diverted before later returning to Mumbai, according to airport updates.
Vasai, Palghar, Thane and Raigad also saw severe disruption. Roads in Vasai were submerged, while several low-lying areas around the Amba river in Raigad reported flooding. On the Mumbai-Goa highway near Nagothane-Wakan, floodwater and mud left vehicles stranded, causing long traffic jams. In Thane’s Wagle Estate, part of the gallery of a 45-year-old building collapsed, injuring two people and forcing the evacuation of the structure.
In Pune, waterlogging under Borle Bridge on the old Mumbai-Pune highway led authorities to restrict light vehicles towards Mumbai. A tree also collapsed on vehicles in Wakdewadi, injuring some occupants. Airlines, including Akasa Air, issued advisories warning that heavy rain in Pune could delay flights.
Odisha remained on high alert after a well-marked low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression. The system was expected to cross the north Odisha coast between Chandbali and Digha, close to Balasore. The IMD issued red warnings for parts of Odisha, with extremely heavy rain likely in several districts. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till July 7 due to rough to very rough conditions.
Heavy rain also disrupted life in Bolangir, Bhubaneswar and Kandhamal. In Bhubaneswar, a man was swept away in a drain during heavy rain and search operations continued more than 20 hours later. In Kandhamal, villagers were seen risking their lives to cross the swollen Bagh river using large metal vessels due to the absence of a bridge.
In Gujarat’s Amreli district, heavy rain hit Jafrabad and nearby coastal villages, flooding low-lying areas and farmlands. A 40-year-old woman was seriously injured in Savarkundla after a house wall collapsed while she was cooking.
The IMD has said heavy monsoon rain is likely to continue over large parts of the country over the next few days, with active conditions over central India for four to five days. The southwest monsoon is also expected to advance into the remaining parts of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, and parts of Gujarat and the north Arabian Sea over the next four days.