Mumbai 26/7 Floods: 20 Years Since The Deluge That Brought The City To A Halt
Mumbai was paralysed on July 26, 2005, after 944 mm of rain fell in a day. Over 1,000 lives were lost due to floods, electrocution, and landslides. Here's what happened.
On This Day In 2005: Every year as the monsoon clouds arrive over India, many cities face disruptions from heavy rains. Streets overflow, traffic slows down and daily life comes to a standstill. Mumbai in particular often finds itself battling extreme downpours. But no year left a deeper impact than 2005.
On July 26, 2005, Mumbai was hit by an unprecedented 944 mm (37.17 inches) of rainfall in just 24 hours. That is nearly half the city's average annual rain which just fell down in one single day. Within just 12 hours, from 8 AM to 8 PM, 644 mm poured down. This was the eighth heaviest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded globally.
Mumbai Came To A Complete Halt
The relentless rain flooded every corner of Mumbai. Roads vanished under water and millions were stranded. Mumbai's local trains which are considered the backbone of its daily life, were brought to a standstill with 52 trains damaged and tracks completely submerged.
Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were deeply affected. Cars, buses and autos were stuck or swept away.
The damage was massive as over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or immobilised. It wasn't just the roads, even the skies shut down.
For the first time ever, Mumbai's airports closed for over 30 hours that halted operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and other airstrips like Sahar and Juhu. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed.
The total economic loss the city faced was estimated at around Rs 5.5 billion (approx. $100 million).
Lives Lost
Over 1,000 lives were lost in Mumbai caused by drowning, electrocution and landslides in different parts of the city. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed and thousands were left without shelter, food or access to clean water.
The floods also knocked out communication. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline users lost connection for several hours. This slowed down the emergency response.
What Went Wrong
One of the biggest failures during the flood was the city's outdated drainage system which was designed in colonial times. It wasn't built to handle such heavy rainfall. Further, years of unchecked construction and the destruction of mangroves blocked natural waterways.
Many people criticised the government's slow response. For hours, citizens helped each other with food, water and shelter. It was only later that the Army, Navy and Air Force stepped in to help evacuate stranded residents.
Lessons Learned
The 2005 floods made it clear that Mumbai needed stronger systems to deal with natural disasters. In the years that followed, the government took steps to improve how different agencies respond during emergencies. Special disaster management units were created to better coordinate rescue and relief operations.
There were also efforts to fix the city's ageing drainage network. Authorities started projects aimed at reducing waterlogging during heavy rains. But even today, the progress has been slow and uneven as many parts of the city still face the same problems during every monsoon.
The floods also opened people's eyes to the need for better planning. Uncontrolled construction and shrinking green spaces were seen as major reasons for the damage. Since then, there has been more awareness about protecting natural areas like mangroves and preparing for extreme weather linked to climate change
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First Published:
July 26, 2025, 07:30 IST
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