Rain checks city

MUMBAI: One day of the monsoon and the spectre of 26/7 returned to haunt Mumbai. One person died and at least 17 were injured in the first spell of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. There was endless chaos resulting from water-logging, train delays, traffic jams, power cuts, and mobile network failures.

 

A late afternoon swim proved fatal for an employee of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club on Wednesday. Manoj Jadhav (25) drowned at 4.30pm while swimming off the Gateway of India. At least 17 people were injured when walls collapsed in Ghatkopar and Vikhroli.

 

Water-logging was recorded in at least 20 places across the city, especially along the Western and Eastern Express Highways, at Marol Naka, Jogeshwari, Bandra, Goregaon, Malad, and Santa Cruz.

 

Commuters suffered as Central and Western Railway services crumbled. Central Railway came to a complete halt after lightning struck an overhead cable between Ghatkopar and Vidyavihar. There were minor accidents with BEST buses as well.

 

Though Municipal Commissioner Johny Joseph claimed that the flooding was not due to the Mithi overflowing, northbound traffic was held up for four hours at the Bandra-Kalanagar junction because of water-logging.

 

Principal Secretary (disaster management cell) KS Wats said the state government was on top of the situation. “The monsoon has arrived early. But we are in constant touch with the district collectors as well as meteorological department,” he said. “The Army, Navy and Air Force are all ready in case of any emergency.”

 

 

 

MUMBAI: It’s official. The monsoon has hit Mumbai 11 days ahead of its normal onset date of June 10. The result: a city thrown out of gear and authorities struggling to stay above water.

 

The deadlines for completion of various projects were in the first two weeks of June.

 

One day of rainfall has made it clear how ill-equipped the city is to cope with the monsoon, despite all the promises made by the authorities.

 

The meteorological department had given the monsoon three days on Monday. Its arrival on Tuesday was explained as a “normal margin of error”. Deputy Director (western region) CVV Bhadram said, “We have to make out whether the rain is a pre-monsoon shower or the monsoon itself. That is why, in declaring the onset date, there is always a margin of two or three days.”

 

On Wednesday, Colaba and Santa Cruz recorded 20.1cm and 14.3cm of rain, respectively, in the 36 hours ending at 8.30pm, after which the met office officially declared the onset of monsoon in Mumbai. Heavy to very heavy rain has been predicted across south Maharashtra and Mumbai for the next 48 hours. The Konkan region also received heavy rains over Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

 

The early monsoon is not unusual, said Bhadram: “Last time it was delayed by almost 10 days. This time it has advanced. On Tuesday, we issued a forecast saying that weather conditions have changed towards a favourable monsoon and in next 48 hours it will rain, which happened today.”

 

The city and its citizens, though, were caught unprepared. There was water-logging on many roads, including at major intersections. Cars were stranded, bikes overturned, and buses broke down. Traffic movement all over the city collapsed. Mumbai did not have a happy first day of the rains. And the civic authorities have some more work to do.