Qrius
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Finance
    • Investment Guide
    • Policy
    • SMEs
    • Net Worth
    • Startup
    • Pros and Cons
  • World
    • Entertainment
    • Climate
    • Culture
    • Economy
    • History
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • Sports
      • Scrabble
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
  • Science & Technology
    • Archaeology
    • Nature
    • Space
    • Tech
    • AI
    • Fintech
    • Futuristic Technologies
    • IOT
  • India
    • Culture
    • Economy
    • History
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Climate
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
  • Contributors
    • Digital Marketing Guest Post
    • Education Guest Post
    • Travel Guest Post
    • Fashion Guest Post
    • Fintech Guest Post
    • Health Guest Post
    • IOT Guest Post
    • Politics Guest Post
    • Sports Guest Post
    • AI Guest Post
    • Technology Guest Post
    • Literature Guest Post
  • Content Services
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Finance
    • Investment Guide
    • Policy
    • SMEs
    • Net Worth
    • Startup
    • Pros and Cons
  • World
    • Entertainment
    • Climate
    • Culture
    • Economy
    • History
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • Sports
      • Scrabble
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
  • Science & Technology
    • Archaeology
    • Nature
    • Space
    • Tech
    • AI
    • Fintech
    • Futuristic Technologies
    • IOT
  • India
    • Culture
    • Economy
    • History
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Climate
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
  • Contributors
    • Digital Marketing Guest Post
    • Education Guest Post
    • Travel Guest Post
    • Fashion Guest Post
    • Fintech Guest Post
    • Health Guest Post
    • IOT Guest Post
    • Politics Guest Post
    • Sports Guest Post
    • AI Guest Post
    • Technology Guest Post
    • Literature Guest Post
  • Content Services
04 Jul, 19
04 Jul, 19
floods, monsoon, Mumbai

Record rain, deaths, poor civic preparedness: Mumbai?s shame old story

Qrius take a look at why Mumbai continues to flood year after year despite being one of the richest and most developed cities in India

By Qrius

Credit:Credit: News Measurements Network Live from New Delhi, India [CC0]

While the monsoon signals relief for most, Mumbai’s residents brace for impact. Parts of Maharashtra have been paralysed this week with non-stop rain, which has caused massive flooding, a wall collapse in Malad east and Kondhawa, a dam breach in Ratnagiri, and a continuously rising death toll. 

In the last 72 hours, Mumbai has logged over 1,000 mm of rainfall—the heaviest in 45 years. The Maharashtra government also declared a public holiday in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and along the Konkan coast on July 2, asking residents to remain indoors.

To make matters worse, a wall has collapsed in Malad east, killing 24 and injuring 78. The compound wall of the Sinhgad Institute in Pimpripada fell and crushed slum dwellers adjacent to it, provoking action from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

The NDRF said a team with a sniffer dog, the fire brigade, and local police is investigating the case and working on search and rescue operations in Malad.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered condolences and an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to families of those killed in the Malad accident.

The wall collapsed on the house in Pimpriwada area in Malad and caused a major accident. A total of 24 people have died in this. About 15 people were injured.#MumbaiRainsLiveUpdates #Mumbai #Maladwallcollapse https://t.co/jOCn8cb644 pic.twitter.com/YzOqwToRyT

— MahaMumbaiNews (@maha_mumbai) July 2, 2019

Mumbai lifeline—the suburban railway network—also crashed; the Central Railway was shut was nearly 15 hours on Tuesday, July 2, and other long-distance trains to Ahmedabad were cancelled. Some stations on the Western Railway were flooded, but trains managed to run. 

Officials said Palghar, Virar, and Nalasopara were especially drenched with 550 mm of rain—more than double last year’s volume—and several main train lines there were cancelled. 

Last year the maximum rainfall at Nallasopara in 72 hrs was about 550 mm while this year the rainfall has crossed 1000 mm in last 72-75 hrs. Water level is above 200 mm above rail level. However, in spite of Nature's fury, WR is making all efforts to keep the trains running. pic.twitter.com/4fkPqrDaXh

— Western Railway (@WesternRly) July 2, 2019

Around 203 flights at Mumbai’s airport were cancelled and others delayed for at least 30 minutes. Aircraft were also in danger of skidding on the main runway, as one Spicejet carrier did on July 2, getting stuck on a grassy patch.

Why does Mumbai flood every monsoon?

In 2017, Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital, was the richest Indian state by GDP. Mumbai’s share markets account for 70% of the country’s stocks and is the fourth most prosperous city in India.

Why then is Mumbai always a victim of devastating floods every monsoon?

Vice India explains that the city has 2,000 km of open drains and 440 km of closed drains that have over 30,000 water entrances with 186 outfall points into the Arabian Sea.

While this stormwater drainage system may seem extensive, it cannot support the city’s current and consistently growing population.

This colonial-era system can only handle 24 mm of rainfall per hour at low tide, says Scroll. The pipes are also narrow and clogged with trash, like plastic packets and bottles.

#WATCH Maharashtra: Andheri Subway in Mumbai is closed due to flooding in the area. #MumbaiRains pic.twitter.com/9J4hNyzQTn

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2019

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation tried to circumvent its poor drainage system by widening the pipes and installing powerful pumps to push water out regardless of high volume of rain or high tide. However, only five of the proposed eight pumping stations and other development projects have been completed till date. 

Also read: Mumbai railway bridge collapse: Why is public infrastructure not a poll issue?

Another cause of flooding is the loss of mangrove cover.

Over the years, the government has engaged in large-scale deforestation of Maharashtra’s mangrove forests that protected the coastline.

The Wire says the state will chop down 13.36 hectares or 54,000 mangrove trees for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

State Transport Minister Diwakar Raote said the government will compensate by planting five times more trees than it removes and paying reparations to communities that might be displaced.

Still, mangrove trees take about 10 to 15 years to fully grow, leaving the city vulnerable to natural disasters in the meantime. 

Mangroves not only absorb 50% more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than rainforests do, they also have deep roots that calm waves and prevent flooding. A World Bank study showed that mangroves can also mitigate, and often prevent, the devastating impact of cyclones.

The state government is also planning to cut down 33.17 hectares (four times the size of Oval Maidan) of mangroves for the coastal road project.

The coastal road project will also displace 11,000 fishermen, create more traffic and pollution, and irreparably destroy marine life breeding grounds. 

Many activists have slammed the Maharashtra government for not being transparent about the environmental cost of development projects, and many of Mumbai’s residents are wading through the consequences every year. 

The struggle to stay afloat

Other parts of the state are also in trouble because of the raging monsoon.

The Tiware Dam in Ratnagiri has been breached, killing eight and displacing 15 people, who are currently considered missing.

After the dam flooded, seven villages—Akle, Riktoli, Ovali, Kalkavne, and Nandivase—were flooded and 20 vehicles were washed away.

NDTV reports that despite authorities flagging the dam for structural weakness and leakage, no repairs were conducted. The NDRF also is conducting search and rescue operations in Ratnagiri.

Also read: Why Mumbai traffic is the worst in the world

“Using drones, we have located six dead bodies, and over 18 people are still missing,” said NDRF spokesperson Alok Awasthy.

Just heard sad news of #Tiware dam in #Ratnagiri bursting causing huge loss to lives,property.Immediately contacted concerned in state government,district administration to rush help.Asked all our #karyakartaas&NGOs to offer all help to victims.Arranging rescue operations for all

— Suresh Prabhu (मोदी का परिवार) (@sureshpprabhu) July 3, 2019

Pune has also been fielding accidents due to inclement weather. The city received 73.1 mm of rain in the last 24 hours—the highest volume since June 2010. 

Fifteen people died in Kondhawa where a wall in a residential complex collapsed on shanties around 2 am. 

Mumbai’s forecast for the coming week

Mumbai’s Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said the city will receive “heavy rainfall” on Wednesday, July 3, as the southwest monsoon winds are strong over the Arabian Sea. Maharashtra will also see “squally” or stormy weather conditions on its northern coast.

Fishing communities have been advised not to venture out to sea between July 3 and July 6 as “rough to very rough sea conditions” with winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kmph will prevail.

On July 2, the RMC said, “Monsoon remains widespread, vigorous over the entire North Konkan belt, including Mumbai, with heavy to very rainfall over most places and extremely heavy in a few places.”

For July 3, the forecast predicted more moderate to heavy rainfall in some isolated areas.


Rhea Arora is a Staff Writer at Qrius


Stay updated with all the insights.
Navigate news, 1 email day.
Subscribe to Qrius

About Author

Qrius

what is qrius

Qrius reduces complexity. We explain the most important issues of our time, answering the question: "What does this mean for me?"


Featured articles

1

Before Christ

What Does BCE Mean? Difference between BCE, CE, BC and AD
2

GDP

Revealing the Top 10 GDP Countries of 2024: A Deep Dive into Global Economic Powerhouses
3

Android

The Ultimate Guide to the Best Car Racing Games for Android in 2024
4

cars

Best Family Car in India in 2024: Experience Memorable Journeys with Loved Ones
5

Extreme sports

Hidden Chess Rules: Elevate Your Game with Secret Strategies
6

adventure sports

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Why Cristiano Ronaldo Is Better
7

40 Top GK Questions: Boost Your Knowledge Quotient!
8

Why has increased productivity not led to more free time?
9

gita

Gita quotes on karma: Want to live your best life? Laws to live by…
10

Facebook

Facebook and Instagram down: What reason did Meta give?

About Qrius

  • About Us
  • Content Services
  • Contributors
  • Become a Contributor
  • Contact

Contribute

  • Digital Marketing Guest Post
  • Education Guest Post
  • Travel Guest Post
  • Fashion Guest Post
  • Fintech Guest Post
  • Health Guest Post
  • IOT Guest Post
  • Literature Guest Post
  • Politics Guest Post
  • Sports Guest Post
  • Technology Guest Post
  • AI Guest Post

Quick Links

  • World
  • Entertainment
  • Climate
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • History
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science & Tech
  • Archaeology
  • Nature
  • Space
  • Tech
  • AI
  • Fintech
  • Futuristic Technologies
  • IoT
  • India
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • History
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Climate
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
2018 QRIUS. All Rights Reserved