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Early arrival of monsoon caught BMC by surprise, admits Shinde, oppn MVA slams govt
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde admits early monsoon caught BMC off guard; opposition blames government for corruption and poor flood management in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: Faced with criticism for the floods in Mumbai, deputy CM Eknath Shinde admitted that the early arrival of the monsoon had caught the BMC by surprise. Shinde, who heads the urban development department which has been running the BMC for three years in the absence of an elected body, also accepted that the dewatering pumps (used for pumping out flood water) were not working to full capacity. Meanwhile, the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) attacked the Mahayuti government for inefficient handling of civic works and alleged corruption that led to water logging all over the city.
Following the floods at several places, Shinde visited the BMC control room on Monday and blamed the situation on the monsoon’s arrival 15 days earlier than expected and the significant amount of rain. “It has not rained so much in the last 30 to 35 years,” he said, adding that the rainfall was 250 mm in some areas. “The situation is equivalent to a cloudburst. But all the water in the affected places has now receded.” The deputy CM added that the state government had held meetings with all agencies for pre-monsoon preparedness but the rain put paid to their plans.
A press release issued by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s office pointed out that Mumbai had recorded 135.4 mm of rainfall in 24 hours. “There were complaints of waterlogging from six places in Mumbai, complaints of short circuits from 18 places and building wall collapses at five places. The BMC, fire department, Mumbai police and all other systems are ready. There has been no loss of life anywhere. National Disaster Response Force teams are ready at five places in Mumbai for all kinds of help,” said the release.
Shinde has now instructed BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to shift people to safe areas if needed. He said that he had visited the hilly areas of Vikhroli and Bhandup and told Gagrani to take all the necessary steps to avoid rock falls. “If need be, the BMC can do rock bolting,” he said. Shinde also claimed that the desilting of the city’s storm water drains was almost complete.
Meanwhile, MVA leaders lambasted the Mahayuti government on Monday.
“Mumbai is paying the price of the ruling parties’ corruption in infrastructure projects and controlling the BMC from Mantralaya,” Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray told media persons. “Look at what the so-called ‘Infra Man’ did to the city,” he added, in a snide aside at Eknath Shinde who was given the moniker by the Shiv Sena’s Shaina NC a couple of days ago.
Aaditya said that the Hindmata area in Lower Parel had been made flood-free by the Shiv Sena (UBT) government four years ago. “Now it is water-logged again, only and only because the BJP-controlled BMC did not initiate the process of pumping out water or initiate Standard Operating Procedures for the monsoons on time,” he said. “The absolute apathy of the BJP government, which has been controlling the BMC for the past three years, has led to Mumbai coming to a standstill today. The city has water logging in places that were never flooded before.”
Aaditya also visited the Worli metro station, which was closed due to leakages and flooding in the station, and questioned the poor work on Metro 3. “It’s not like this is the first rain,” he said. “Last week, the Andheri subway was submerged under water. But the government and the BMC failed to expedite the drain-cleaning work and take measures to pump out the water in several areas. The government and BMC are entirely responsible for this situation in Mumbai.”
State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal also castigated the Mahayuti government and stated that the water logging across the city and in Metro 3 had exposed the “inefficiency and corruption” of the Mahayuti government. “In 2024, ₹249.27 crore was spent on cleaning drains, while in 2025, ₹395 crore was spent on drain-cleaning and removing silt from the Mithi river,” he said. “The BMC hired 31 contractors for this but despite spending so much money, the drains in Mumbai were not cleaned. They have wasted taxpayers’ money.” Sapkal also declared that the people of Mumbai would not forgive “this corrupt gang that has been looting Mumbai”.
Clyde Crasto, national spokesperson of the NCP (SP), said that the BJP-led government, which was running the BMC for the past three years, ought to be ashamed and needed to apologise to Mumbaikars.
While responding to Aaditya’s criticism, Mumbai suburbs guardian minister and city BJP chief Ashish Shelar said, “When the BMC was cleaning the drains and doing other monsoon-related work, we visited various sites for inspection and also directed BMC officials about corrective measures. Where was Aaditya Thackeray, who is a city MLA, during this period? Was he inspecting rivers in London and Paris?”
Shelar said that the (undivided) Shiv Sena was in power for 25 years in the BMC, controlled by the Thackeray family. “So Uddhav Thackeray is responsible for today’s situation,” he said. “Our party leaders are on the roads today to resolve the problems. Where was Uddhav Thackeray when Mumbai was submerged on July 26, 2005? In which five-star hotel was he living?”
