Mumbai Monsoon Hits Its Suburbs The Hardest

It was August 29, when India's financial capital faced the wrath of torrential rains. According to the weather department, this was the worst downpour since the July 2005 tragedy when the rains submerged the entire city. The preparations done by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seemed irrelevant as most suburbs were deep into the water, vehicles broke down on the street and drains were choked with waste and sewage. Most of the drains were overflowing, spilling the water on roads.

Also Read: Plight Of Navi Mumbai, Thane Amidst Torrential Rain

Areas worst-affectedThough there were no areas which didn't face the water submerging except some of the high-level areas of South Mumbai, suburban and extended suburbs of the financial capital faced the worst of the tragedy. Mahim, Dharavi, Dadar, Parel and Hind Mata in Central Mumbai, Mulund, Vikhroli and Sion in Eastern Suburbs and almost entirely of Western Suburbs including Dahisar in the north to Santa Cruz near BKC were worst affected. In fact, the floods of 2005 affected the same areas when some of the housing colonies in Kalina near Santa Cruz were waterlogged severely where first two floors were in the water and the residents had to be rescued by the firefighters.

The rampant construction in popular suburbs such as Andheri and Santa Cruz and choked drainage system is responsible for the situation, as claimed by the urban planners. The potholed roads in upmarket areas such as Bandra made commuting even more difficult as several vehicles broke down due to this.

The blame-game of the BMCEarlier, Hindustan Times conducted a survey in which the experts analysed city's monsoon preparedness and rated the BMC's work as substandard, the civic authority blamed the common public for lack of civic sense. BMC also said that that the residents throw their household garbage directly into Rasraj drainwhich runs parallel to Nehru Nagar slum. Other than this, the dislodged paver blocks near major junctions, unfilled potholes, shoddily repaired trenches and uneven patches on crucial connecting roads across the city created major havoc during the calamity.

Lending help through social mediaWhile news channels were busy in telecasting the apathy of Mumbaikars while traveling, Twitter and Facebook feeds were flooded with live updates from the citizens who were stuck in traffic or were at home, offering help to those stuck.

By mid-2017, the following reflects the status of preparedness in Mumbai. 

BMC claims 90% work finished

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says that most of the work of drain cleaning and road repairs is finished. The civic body chief has also ordered to cover all the manholes and repair roads where Metro work is going on. So far, the civic authority has completed repair work on 369 kilometres of roads. Repair work on the last eight-km stretch has already missed the deadline of June 15. This is one of those stretches which has a history of flooding in past few years.

Storm water drains still unclear

According to a report published in Hindustan Times, there are five major drains in the suburban the BMC says that most of the work of drain cleaning and road repairs is finished which remain unclean and are likely to cause flooding in prime areas. According to the report, Behrampada Nullah at Bandra, Rasraj Nullah at Vile Parle, the Mithi River at BKC, Dharavi Nullah and Dharavi Box Drain are still full of garbage and the cleaning work is far from done. If any of these drains get clogged during the monsoon, it could lead to flooding in Central Line and Western Suburbs of Mumbai. The drain at Dharavi can also cause flood in low-lying areas. The box drain at Dharavi can only be cleaned manually as the flow of the water is obstructed by garbage.

Lifeguards, fire department suits up

Taking lessons from 2005, the fire department is geared up to face the possible challenges posed by the heavy rains.  The officials are carrying out drills in this regard. All the six beaches in the city ─ Juhu, Versova, Girgaum, Aksa, Gorai and Dadar ─ have been deployed with additional lifeguards during monsoon.

According to Prabhat Rahangdale, Chief Fire Officer at BMC, the department is ready with rescue buoys, life jackets, life-saving reels, high-speed boats, fire engines, water tanks, etc. Moreover, 70 firemen will be available 24x7 during monsoon.