A new red alert: Mumbai is crumbling

FAR FROM PREPARED | After Wednesday night, the chaos repeated itself on Friday morning

- Shefali Farah-Pandit and Aishwarya Iyer

Nearly two decades ago, Mumbaikars endured a nightmarish deluge, the memory of which still lingers. Despite investing several crores of rupees, the city remains plagued by persistent waterlogging and severe traffic disruptions. On Wednesday, this ongoing issue came to a head with another monsoon crisis. Trains came to a halt with submerged tracks, office-goers couldn't reach back home until next morning and roads were jammed. There was prompt backlash from activists, citizens' associations, and former corporators, all condemning the civic body for its repeated failures.

As per data received from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city received more than its monthly average rainfall in just five days of rainfall that began on September 23. During this period, the city recorded 393 mm of rain from September 23 to 27, exceeding the monthly average of 359.6 mm. This significant rainfall also pushed the total seasonal precipitation past 3,000 mm, with the Santacruz observatory recording 3,016 mm as of the morning of September 27.

Even on Friday morning, there was heavy rainfall in and around the city, resulting in significant traffic disruptions across major routes. Multiple vehicle breakdowns exacerbated the problem, particularly in the central and western suburbs.