Heavy rains and flooding have thrown daily life into disarray in Mumbai, hitting the operations of food delivery and quick commerce platforms. Since Friday, the city has been battered by over 300 mm of rainfall, triggered by a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal, leading to widespread waterlogging, blocked roads, and disrupted delivery services.

For delivery platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, and FreshMenu, the weekend turned into a logistical nightmare. While demand typically spikes during bad weather, flooded roads and high-velocity winds made deliveries nearly impossible in several neighborhoods, including Chembur, Parel, Thane, Andheri, and Wadala.

“On an average day, we receive about 1,000 orders, but since the rains began, demand has risen to 1,200–1,300 daily orders,” said Rajesh Choudhary, manager at Swiggy’s Instamart in Mumbai. “The challenge is not demand but supply and last-mile delivery.”

FreshMenu founder Rashmi Daga echoed similar concerns. “With heavy rains, our supplies, particularly vegetables, have been constrained due to roadblocks. Our order cancellations have doubled.” FreshMenu runs 20 cloud kitchens across Mumbai, listed on both Swiggy and Zomato.

Several platforms even suspended operations for hours in severely waterlogged areas. A Blinkit store manager in South Mumbai, requesting anonymity, admitted, “Our daily target is around 1,500 orders, but this past week we’ve only managed about 1,000–1,200. We haven’t seen any increase despite the rains.”

On social media platform X, users have shared videos and photos of delayed deliveries, damaged parcels, and stranded riders stuck in traffic jams.

For delivery partners, safety has become the biggest concern. “We are scared of accidents. The winds during this cyclone-like rain make it very dangerous,” said one delivery agent. Riders have demanded that the rain fee, currently set at ₹20, be increased to ₹40 to compensate for the risks. “It’s really tough to ride in this weather with all the traffic and waterlogging,” added a Blinkit delivery partner.

Experts point out that extreme weather not only increases demand but also raises average order values. “Customers usually plan purchases in such situations, which increases the average basket size,” noted Satish Meena, founder of market intelligence platform Datum.

Meanwhile, logistics firm Delhivery confirmed disruptions in affected regions. “Due to severe weather, deliveries in the affected regions are experiencing delays. We have temporary disruptions in operations in heavily impacted areas, and are working with local teams to resume service as soon as possible,” the company said in an email statement.

With Mumbai being one of India’s largest markets for both food delivery and quick commerce, the recurring challenge of heavy rains underscores the fragile balance between demand surges and on-ground delivery feasibility.