Mumbai Under water: What the August 2025 Floods Reveal About Climate Risk

In mid-August 2025, Mumbai witnessed one of its heaviest downpours in recent memory. According to the India Meteorological Department, Borivali Fire Station in the western suburbs recorded a staggering 322mm of rainfall in just 24 hours, the highest in the city. Chincholi Fire Station recorded 294mm, while Kandivali recorded 276mm Even the central and eastern suburbs weren’t spared. Vikhroli received 232mm, Mulund 94mm and Kurla 163mm. The rains left 21 people dead across Maharashtra, paralyzed transport, and exposed once again how climate volatility is outpacing urban preparedness.

The disruption was city-wide:

1. Suburban trains, Mumbai’s lifeline, came to a halt.
2. Roads were submerged across central and western suburbs.
3. More than 350 flights were delayed or cancelled.
4. Schools and offices were forced to shut.
5. The swollen Mithi River displaced hundreds of families in low-lying areas like Kurla.
6. Entire neighbourhoods lost power and drinking water for nearly a day (IndiaTimes).

“Over a 54-hour period (Aug 17–19), the city received 300 mm of rain, equal to 37% of average August rainfall, overwhelming drainage systems and paralyzing road and rail networks. Nearly 500 people had to be evacuated as the Mithi River surged above danger levels”

Here’s the catch: What looked like just another monsoon flood was, in fact, a stark warning.

Climate change is rewriting rainfall patterns.
The warming Arabian Sea and shifting monsoon depressions are triggering more frequent and extreme downpours.

But climate alone isn’t to blame.
Rapid urbanization, outdated stormwater systems built for lighter rains, and the loss of natural buffers like mangroves have left the city dangerously exposed. Mumbai’s floods are no longer just about heavy rain: they’re about a city outpaced by climate and unprepared for its impact.

This August was the wettest in five years, registering 837.3 mm of rainfall in just five and a half days far exceeding the monthly average of 560.8 mm

The bigger risk?
For companies, these floods are more than an infrastructure breakdown. They directly:

• Threaten employee safety
• Stall supply chains
• Disrupt financial transactions
• Dent investor confidence

Estimates suggest that office closures, logistics delays, and infrastructure damage could run into hundreds of crores, not counting the reputational cost of being seen as unprepared. Insurers are already expected to raise premiums on Mumbai-based assets by double digits if adaptation measures aren’t in place.

The truth is clear: Climate risk is now business risk.
Environmental shocks no longer sit outside the corporate balance sheet, they’re shaping it.

So, What Should Companies Do?

Sustainability can’t remain a compliance checkbox. It has to be integrated into governance, operations, and long-term planning. Companies that respond only after the crisis risk being stuck in a cycle of losses and scrutiny. Those that act proactively can emerge resilient, trusted, and future ready.

Think of solutions like:

• Investing in nature-based infrastructure such as mangroves, permeable surfaces, and bioswales
• Creating employee emergency protocols
• Building transparent communication systems

Embedding climate risk into enterprise governance isn’t optional anymore. Reporting frameworks such as TCFD, SEBI’s BRSR Core, and the EU’s CSRD already provide a clear roadmap.

Lessons from the Past : Mumbai has seen devastating floods before in 2005, 2017, and 2021. Adaptation has lagged.
The difference now? Financial markets and regulators are watching.

• Investors are linking capital to resilience.
• Regulators are mandating climate disclosures.

The Takeaway is simple.

The August 2025 floods are not just another anomaly. They are a clarion call for companies to embed adaptation and resilience into their ESG strategies. Businesses that act now will protect operations, reassure investors, and build trust. Those that don’t, will find themselves on the losing side of a new reality where sustainability and survival are inseparable.

At Snowkap, we see this shift every day.
Companies are asking how to bring climate risk into their core governance and how to make disclosures meaningful rather than mechanical. By supporting them with structured reporting, clearer data pathways, and frameworks that meet both investor and regulatory expectations, we’ve seen that businesses can turn disruption into preparedness.

Mumbai’s floods are a reminder that this conversation is no longer about “if” but “how quickly.”