Waterlogging in Mumbai: Why urban flooding needs urgent attention

YEAR AFTER year, Mumbai continues to grapple with waterlogging woes during monsoon, in what brings life in the financial city to a standstill on days of torrential downpour.

While an array of new concerns like air pollution have emerged in the recent years, waterlogging is a decades-old crisis which continues to affect citizens and draws heavy fund allocation from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation annually.

Tucked in the Konkan region, Mumbai experiences heavy showers in the four months from June to September with historical records from the IMD showing that the city received an average of 2,500 mm during monsoons in the past 20 years.

With the city increasingly experiencing extreme rain events wherein over 100 mm rainfall sweeps the region, the city is prone to experiencing waterlogging. In 2025, the BMC identified 386 flooding spots, with analysis showing that each year 65 new flooding spots emerge across the island city and suburbs.

Among key areas which are inundated regularly amid heavy rain encompass low lying areas like Dadar, Parel, Hindmata, Matunga, Dahisar, Jogeshwari among others, followed by slum settlements in Mankhurd, Kurla and Dharavi. Besides this, waterlogging is frequently reported in the reclaimed parts of BKC alongside the transport network like suburban central and harbour line railway services and patches along the Eastern and Western express highway.

In recent years, the BMC has commissioned at least 10 mini-pumping stations including a station at the chronic flooding spot of Hindmata junction which was installed at a cost of Rs 130 crore in 2021. Further, two holding ponds have been created at Hindmata and Milan subway while 482 pumps were also deployed during the monsoon season to facilitate flow of accumulated water.

Even so, the city’s chronic spots continued to reel under water during extreme weather events like on August 18 and 19 in 2025.

Even as the BMC has spent a massive budget to mitigate waterlogging, senior officials from BMC said that increased occurrence of extreme weather events–wherein over 100 mm rain is recorded within short durations–has emerged as a big challenge in tackling urban waterlogging.

Data procured from the BMC showed that on an average, Mumbai now experiences at least 16 days of high intensity rain over 100 mm each year. Indicating a trend of intensifying extremes, analysis showed that in the past six years, the average high-intensity rain rose to 182 mm as against 131 mm rain in the past five years.

At present, Mumbai’s storm water drains have a carrying capacity of 55 mm rain per hour. However, with the city recording increased instances of extreme rain events, the existing drainage is failing to suffice to rainfall over 55 mm within an hour. Its capacity capped, the overflow from the drains then spills onto the road and carriageway in what triggers accumulation of water.

In what further impacts the carrying capacity of the old drainage system is inefficient desilting, a year-round exercise undertaken by the BMC, as well as dumping of waste into the drains–particularly in the slum pockets.

On the question of perpetual flooding at Andheri, Khar and Poisar subways, which are rendered shut during heavy rain, BMC officials echoed that they lie in saucer-shaped spots which results in gushing of rainwater and difficulty in dewatering.

Amid increased climate extremities and aging infrastructure, Mumbai Climate Action Plan has found that over 35 percent of Mumbai’s population lies at the risk of flooding–making interventions at administrative and political level a critical need of the hour.

With city poised to vote for the general civic polls on January 15, residents and associations across wards have called for permanent solutions to mitigate the annual crisis.

Former corporators who have thrown their ring in the race for newly elected representatives said that finding solutions for waterlogging in their wards will rank on their list of priority tasks.

Ravi Raja, BJP leader and former corporator who is contesting from the 185 seat of Dharavi said, “With climate change and changing rain patterns, we need to look at a long term focus with a plan for the next 15-29 years. Currently, there are several loopholes in the existing pumping stations systems. In our party, we have a team of people who are working strategically to chart a plan.”

Rajeshree Shirwadkar, former BJP candidate from 172 prabhag in F/North ward who is slated to contest again from the seat said, “While the issue of Gandhi market is largely resolved, in my ward, waterlogging remains an issue in Matunga which is the lowest point wherein water from the Dadar TT, and Hindu colony lands up. I have been following up on this matter for the past five years and now the Dadar-Dharavi pumping station proposal has been cleared too which we will be working towards.”