Mumbai rains throw city out of gear: Roads shut, offices go remote

Mumbai came to a standstill on Monday after relentless rainfall led to severe waterlogging across the city. Low-lying areas were the worst hit, with major traffic snarls reported on the Eastern Freeway and Western Express Highway, forcing the closure of several subways, roads, and bridges.

Authorities shut the Poisar subway early in the day to prevent vehicles from getting stranded, while the Andheri subway was closed by afternoon after water levels rose up to two feet.

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Later in the evening, the Elphinstone bridge in Parel and the Mankhurd Tunnel at Maharashtra Nagar were also shut.

At several stretches, tree falls and malfunctioning traffic signals worsened the chaos.

Kandivali East witnessed severe snarls due to a faulty signal, while fallen trees blocked arterial routes. The road from MGR Chowk to Kane Nagar in Antop Hill was closed, and inundation hit key pockets in Andheri, including Lokhandwala Complex and Veera Desai Road. On the Western Express highway, traffic slowed down near Oberoi Mall in Dindoshi due to heavy waterlogging.

In Matunga, nearly three feet of water accumulated near Kings Circle Gandhi Market, leading to traffic diversions from Aurora Junction.

Waterlogging in Sion's Gandhi Market left several school children stranded, before police stepped in to rescue them.

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The downpour also disrupted offices across the city.

Several companies, including Maersk, Northern Arc Capital, Adfactors, and Standard Chartered Bank, announced work-from-home arrangements or early logouts for employees, as per media reports.

Maersk closed its Mumbai office entirely, while Northern Arc Capital continued operations with minimal staff at its Inspire BKC Office.

Adfactors declared remote work for the day, and Standard Chartered Bank arranged shuttle services to ferry employees to nearby railway stations before sending them home.

With heavy rains continuing for the third consecutive day, the civic body declared a holiday for schools and colleges. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, warning of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai and adjoining regions over the next 48 hours, reports suggest.

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