New Delhi, July 6 -- Relentless monsoon rain battered large parts of India on Monday, leaving a trail of deaths, floods, landslides and transport disruptions across several states. Maharashtra witnessed the worst impact, with three more rain-related deaths in Pune taking the state's toll to 13 over the past three to four days. Himachal Pradesh reported the death of a 14-year-old girl after she was struck by falling rocks, while flash floods and landslides damaged roads and infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir. Odisha remained on high alert as continuous rain flooded towns and disrupted daily life, while Delhi, despite receiving little rain, endured severe humidity with "feel-like" temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Mumbai, Thane and Raigad, warning of more heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds. Authorities across several states stepped up emergency measures as roads, railways and airports struggled to cope with the continuing monsoon conditions.
In Maharashtra, heavy rain brought Mumbai and surrounding districts to a near standstill. Roads were submerged, trees were uprooted and several wall and billboard collapse incidents were reported. In Thane, a fireman was injured while removing a massive uprooted tree, while a large billboard and two walls collapsed in separate incidents.
The newly opened 13-kilometre Missing Link section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway suffered a major setback during its first monsoon season after a concrete pillar fell onto the carriageway. The expressway was shut between the Connecting Link and Missing Link sections, while stretches of the old Mumbai-Pune highway were also closed because of landslides, flooding and overflowing water.
The Missing Link project, built at a cost of Rs 7,181 crore, cuts through the Sahyadri mountains, reducing the travel distance between Mumbai and Pune by about six kilometres.
Heavy rain also severely affected railway operations. Landslides in the Bhor Ghat section forced suspension of train services on the busy Mumbai-Pune route, while ballast beneath tracks between Lowjee and Dolavli stations was washed away, disrupting local train services between Karjat and Khopoli. Restoration work allowed partial resumption of operations by Monday evening.
Western Railway said more than 40 train services were affected because of waterlogging and landslides. At least 10 trains were cancelled, eight rescheduled and several others diverted or short terminated. Heavy rainfall also led to the cancellation of four passenger trains operating between Bandra Terminus and Jaipur and Hisar.
Air travel was also disrupted. Five incoming flights to Mumbai were diverted because of poor weather. According to Mumbai International Airport, IndiGo flights from Raipur and Singapore were diverted to Hyderabad, an Akasa Air flight from Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad, Air India's Kolkata flight was diverted to Bengaluru and an Oman Air flight from Muscat landed at Vadodara instead.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the situation and directed Central and Western Railway officials to speed up restoration work.
The heavy rain also affected governance. Both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature were adjourned, while the Bombay High Court assured lawyers that no adverse orders would be passed if they were unable to reach court due to the weather.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the extreme rainfall as a "force majeure" situation beyond human control.
"The entire disaster management machinery, municipal corporations and other agencies are on the ground. We are in alert mode," he said, adding that with public cooperation such emergencies could be managed more effectively. He also said the recent incidents reflected extreme weather conditions rather than a lack of preparedness.
Fadnavis noted that around 800 trees usually fall during the monsoon, but 350 trees had fallen on Sunday alone.
Authorities advised private offices to allow employees to work from home and declared a half day for non essential government and semi government offices. Schools remained closed, reducing traffic on city roads.
In Pune district, two people died after their house was buried in a landslide at Patan village in Maval tehsil, where three landslides were reported. Another person died after being swept away while crossing a flooded road in Khed tehsil.
Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said 13 people had died in rain-related incidents over the past three to four days and warned that the IMD's red alert would remain in effect for the next two days.
Nashik district was placed on high alert after forecasts warned of possible cloudburst-like rainfall in Trimbakeshwar, Igatpuri and nearby western areas on Tuesday. Schools, colleges, weekly markets and major temples, including Trimbakeshwar and Saptashringi, were ordered closed.
In neighbouring Palghar district, nearly 300 mm of rain fell within two hours in some areas. Strong winds blew away tin-roofed sheds and uprooted trees at a residential school, although all 350 students remained safe.
The weather crisis also sparked political exchanges. Opposition legislators protested outside the Maharashtra legislature, accusing the government of failing to protect people during the monsoon and alleging that recent rainfall had exposed weak infrastructure across Mumbai and other parts of the state.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve questioned how a concrete pillar of the recently opened Missing Link project had collapsed. Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal called the deaths an "administrative failure" and described the situation as a "man-made disaster" rather than a natural calamity. He also alleged corruption and structural deficiencies in the expressway project.
Elsewhere, heavy overnight rain in Himachal Pradesh triggered flash floods, landslides and road blockades. A 14-year-old girl died after being hit by falling rocks. Flash floods blocked the Chamba-Tissa road, disrupted traffic on the Larji-Sainj road in Kullu and damaged roads, footbridges, playgrounds and farmland in Shimla district. Jogindernagar recorded the state's highest rainfall at 97 mm, followed by Kangra with 74.8 mm. The IMD issued an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rain in Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Solan districts.
In Jammu and Kashmir, overnight rain caused flash floods that damaged the Doda-Kishtwar highway and buried several vehicles near the under construction 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project in Kishtwar district. Large quantities of mud, rocks and debris covered the highway, trapping heavy machinery and construction equipment. No casualties were reported.
Odisha remained under statewide alert as rain continued for a third consecutive day under the influence of a depression. The IMD warned of more heavy to very heavy rain through Tuesday and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea. Schools and colleges remained closed in several districts, including Cuttack, Sambalpur, Kandhamal, Bargarh and Sonepur. Twelve locations recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall in the previous 24 hours, with Sonepur receiving 328.4 mm. Waterlogging, uprooted trees and damage to roads and bridges were reported across the state.
The weather system over Odisha is expected to spread heavy rainfall into Jharkhand over the next four days. Thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and isolated heavy rain have been forecast across all 24 districts, although the state continues to face a 42 per cent rainfall deficit this monsoon season.
In Arunachal Pradesh, heavy rain continued over eastern districts, prompting alerts for Namsai and Lohit, while the Itanagar Capital Region issued a heat wave advisory. Rajasthan also recorded isolated heavy rain, with Shrimadhopur in Sikar district receiving 75 mm. The IMD said the southwest monsoon is likely to remain active across several parts of the state during the coming week.
Delhi escaped major rainfall but remained under uncomfortable weather conditions. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 38.6 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest July day in two years after July 11, 2024, when the temperature reached 38.8 degrees Celsius. High humidity pushed the apparent temperature close to 50 degrees Celsius in several areas, making outdoor conditions extremely uncomfortable.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.