Mumbai Monsoon Mayhem: Mumbai’s tree fall crisis has escalated into a major public safety concern, with more than 1,100 trees collapsing across the metropolis in the first six days of July, surpassing
the total number of tree fall incidents recorded during the entire monsoon seasons of the previous three years.
In a single day on July 6, 523 trees fell – the highest in 24 hours this season – as heavy rains and gusty winds battered the metropolis. Areas like Goregaon, Kurla, Matunga and Dadar reported extensive damage.
The incidents have claimed three lives over the past week and left several others injured.
The latest spell of rain and strong winds alone brought down 523 trees, killing one person and injuring several others. The BMC attributed the unprecedented spike to unusually high wind speeds of 72-79 kmph triggered by an active monsoon system.
Among those killed was 11-year-old Vihaan Shrivastav, who died on June 30 after a roadside tree fell on his school bus in Chembur. On July 5, 18-year-old Hasan Raza Jahangir Alam Syed was killed after a tree branch struck his motorcycle in Aarey Colony, while 63-year-old Yunus Kundawala died the following day when a tree collapsed on a shop in Kurla West. The BMC has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Kundawala’s family.
As per the civic data, a sharp rise has been recorded in tree fall incidents since the onset of the monsoon, with 36 trees collapsing on June 30, followed by 90 on July 1, 99 on July 2, 121 on July 3, 91 on July 4, 164 on July 5 and 523 on July 6.
The western suburbs recorded the maximum falls with 448 trees, followed by eastern suburbs with 340 and the city area with 336.
The BMC received 276 tree-related complaints in 24 hours. Officials said rescue teams from the Mumbai Fire Brigade and civic staff were deployed across the city to clear roads and restore traffic.
According to the civic body, wind speeds touched 72-79 kmph on Sunday, more than three times the average wind speed usually experienced during the monsoon season.
BMC officials said the extreme weather conditions were primarily responsible for the large number of trees uprooted across Mumbai. However, experts have blamed unplanned construction, concrete slabs blocking root growth, and lack of upkeep for weakening trees.
Arborist Vaibhav Raje, who is carrying out a scientific survey of around 5,000 trees in Mumbai, said the recent rise in tree collapses cannot be explained by weather alone.
“Cement and trees are not something which can coexist. Tree roots need to firmly anchor themselves to the soil. When the root zone is covered with concrete, the roots gradually lose their grip and the tree’s foundation weakens. As a result, trees can collapse even after a short spell of heavy rain,” he told India Today.
The city’s large-scale road concretisation project has also come under renewed scrutiny after two of the three recent fatal incidents occurred along recently concretised roads. Civic records show that tree fall incidents have remained consistently high since the project began in 2023, with 687 cases reported that year, 653 in 2024 and 855 during the 2025 monsoon.
With more rain forecast over the coming days, the BMC has urged residents to avoid parking vehicles beneath trees and to report leaning or damaged trees to civic authorities immediately.
