Mumbai Flooded Again: Municipal Chief Blames Climate Change
After a delayed arrival of the monsoon this year, the slowest onset in 45 years, the financial capital has received 550 mm of rainfall in two days, the highest over a two-day period in a decade. Incessant rainfall since June 29 has brought Mumbai to a standstill as several parts of the city are under the water. As every year, the heavy rainfall has led to waterlogging in several places in Mumbai, railway tracks submerged in water and complete paralysis of the city life. Mumbai municipal chief Praveen Pardeshi has blamed climate change and geographic conditions for heavy rains and subsequent flooding in the city. According to Pardeshi Mumbai faces such situation, almost every monsoon as the storm water drainage system is not equipped to handle the amount of rainfall the city gets. However, Mumbaikars are questioning BMC’s poor preparedness to mitigate monsoon rains as this is an every year’s phenomenon, and nothing new. At least 12 people were killed and six others injured after a compound wall collapsed in Malad area today due to heavy rains. In another incidents, 3 people were killed and one injured after wall of a school collapsed in Kalyan after heavy rainfall in the area. In Pune, at least 6 persons died and 3 were injured after a wall collapsed near Ambegaon police station in Pune and at least 15 people, including 4 children, were killed when a portion of the compound wall of a housing society collapsed on shanties adjacent to it in Kondhwa area. The main runway at Mumbai airport was shut on July 01 after a SpiceJet flight skid and overshot the main runway while landing at the airport amidst heavy rains. Around 54 flights have been diverted to nearby airports. The local trains, lifeline of Mumbai have been severely affected with many trains delayed or cancelled. The Maharashtra government on Tuesday said that only emergency services will remain functional in Mumbai due to the incessant rains that has affected the road traffic and railways in the city.
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