Mumbaikars glide, swim and 'chill' their way through floodwaters: 'Show must go on'

Heavy rain over the last few days has caused severe waterlogging in Mumbai. (Image credit: @Madan_Chikna, @MithilaWaala/X)

After braving heavy rainfall for several days and wading through waterlogged streets, several Mumbaikars have given in to the situation and have been trying to make light of it by having fun in the floodwaters. Videos of children swimming on flooded streets and adults waterboarding in it have been doing rounds on social media.

Entertainment never stops in Mumbai. The show must go on! #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/sySNLzC0cx

— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) August 20, 2025

This is the scene in front of Goregaon Oberoi Mall, which is supposed to be the most posh area.
God bless this country and its corruption #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/m1YnnmPjA1

— Thandaitweets (@mohit_blogg) August 19, 2025

A couple of men were also seen enjoying their drinks on a waterlogged street. "And Trump thinks he can scare us with sanctions," wrote X user Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaala) while sharing the video.

And Trump thinks he can scare us with sanctions #Mumbai #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/VChjmv8Qmd

— Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaala) August 20, 2025

Mumbai rains memes to have been popular on X.

They painted the swimmer on the ground wall, and the #MumbaiRain water reached up to him to complete the picture. #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/Rs7VTcpKRQ

— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) August 19, 2025

If anyone sees my chappal floating toward Bandra, please return. It left me near Kurla. #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/kOZt0B2o7r

— Hemant Batra (@hemantbatra0) August 18, 2025

Mumbaikar right now. #MumbaiRains #MumbaiRain pic.twitter.com/79LMu8LrBt

— Siddhanth Pilania (@sidhanthpilania) August 18, 2025

But some social media users pointed out that making light of the disaster and praising the city's resilience might just make the civic bodies less accountable for their actions.

Romanticizing floods doesn’t make you motivational, it makes the administration unaccountable.#MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/cr0VsP5PiO

— Still Learning (@Still_learner) August 19, 2025

Heavy rain has caused severe waterlogging in Mumbai, leading to the cancellation of several local train services on Wednesday. Authorities have issued a travel alert, asking commuters to check the updated train list and plan their travel carefully. The safety measures are being taken because water levels remain high in many parts of the city.

Mumbai's Santacruz observatory, representative of the western suburbs, recorded 200 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Wednesday, a day after heavy downpur battered the city, as per the IMD data.

Among neighbouring districts which also witnessed heavy rains on Tuesday, the popular Matheran hill station in Raigad recorded the highest rainfall at 382.5 mm, it said.