Highlights: Red alert in Delhi as capital braces for more rain; flood hits life in Gujarat, Maharashtra

The death toll from rain-related incidents in Pune has climbed to eight over the past four days. According to figures released by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) late Wednesday evening, the fatalities were reported between July 5 and July 8. Rescue teams and disaster response agencies remain engaged in search operations to trace two people who are still missing following separate rain incidents.

Heavy rainfall continued across parts of Kerala on Thursday. IMD issued an 'orange" alert for Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, warning of very heavy rain during the day. A 'yellow' alert has also been issued for Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

Barely a month before Ganesh Chaturthi, when workshops in Maharashtra’s famed idol-making belt would usually be buzzing with activity, silence has descended over Johe and Tambadshet villages in Pen taluka of Raigad district. Clay idols in various stages of completion lie buried under slush, broken beyond repair, after floodwaters triggered by days of torrential rain swept through the low-lying villages on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of artisans counting losses running into crores.

The latest devastation comes close on the heels of another setback for Pen’s idol-making industry. Earlier, The Indian Express had reported that the conflict in West Asia had disrupted exports of Ganesh idols, with escalating shipping costs, freight delays and uncertainty over consignments to various countries hurting artisans and exporters ahead of the festive season.

The two neighbouring villages, known for producing a large share of Maharashtra’s Ganesh idols every year, witnessed floodwaters rising within minutes on Tuesday after incessant rainfall caused nearby creeks to overflow. Artisans said they had little warning before water rushed into their workshops, washing away idols that had taken months to make. Click Here

After days of heavy showers, the intensity of rainfall eased across Mumbai on Thursday morning, bringing some relief to the city. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the eastern suburbs received the highest rainfall at 39.37 mm in the past 24 hours, followed by 28.85 mm in the western suburbs and 14.21 mm in the island city. Meanwhile, the city's seven lakes supplying drinking water continued to receive steady inflows, bringing Mumbai's total water stock to 48.59 per cent of capacity. The Upper Vaitarna catchment recorded the highest rainfall at 160 mm during the period. Civic authorities also reported 126 tree-fall incidents across the city in the last 24 hours, including one in Andheri, where a 50-year-old man, Ganesh Waikar, was injured.

Heavy overnight rain uprooted two trees on Raja Dhir Singh Marg in Delhi's East of Kailash Thursday morning, briefly disrupting traffic in the area. According to the Delhi Fire Service, one tree fell near the ISKCON temple around 3.40 am, while another collapsed outside the National Heart Institute. No injuries were reported in either incident, and teams were sent to clear the road.

Successive spells of rain over the past two days have sharply improved Delhi’s air quality, with the Capital recording its cleanest air of the year so far. At 59, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the ‘Satisfactory’ category around 4 pm on Wednesday — the lowest reading recorded at 4 pm in 2026 so far. The previous low this year, at 73, was recorded on June 12, according to the Central Pollution Control Board data. So far in July, Delhi has recorded ‘Satisfactory’ air quality (AQI between 51 and 100) on three days, while it was ‘Moderate’ (AQI between 101 and 200) on the rest of the days. June had three days with ‘Satisfactory’ AQI, with the monthly average AQI standing at 141. The Ridge weather station recorded 54.3 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours, taking July’s figure so far to 79.1 mm — about 154 per cent above normal for the period. Ayanagar recorded 51 mm of rainfall so far this month, around 45 per cent above its long-period normal of 35.1 mm. Gurgaon, meanwhile, recorded 83 mm of rainfall till Wednesday morning. Read Here