There is a saying Mumbai never sleeps nor stops, but Mumbaikars are forced to face water-logging year after year adding to their inconvenience, with the local authorities and government not having found a solution to the problem till now. There are several reasons why Mumbai keeps getting water-logged.
First, more rains in a short time frame means greater strain on Mumbai drains. Second, besides Mumbai rains, water from adjoining rivers Mithi (river) Dahisar, Poisar, and Oshiwara , rising population, expanding settlements, garbage dumping, industrial waste, as well as sewage discharge into the Arabian Sea are major reasons. Importantly, Mumbai drains its water and accumulated water through its storm water drainage system which was designed by the British in the 1860s. Train disruption, water-logged roads and heavy traffic jams are routine during monsoon, but for the first time in Mumbai, city limits the down harbour line train services from Wadala to Mankhurd were suspended.
Mumbai civic authorities claim to revive storm water drainage system; however, monsoon exposes its efficiency or the lack of it every year. The city’s four key subways Golibar, Milan, Andheri, and Malad that connect east and west Mumbai were closed due to heavy rains. Hindmata, Dharavi, Kurla junction and Bandra are the areas where the common man has to face hardships in commuting. The intense rainfall has resulted in overflowing of rivers and water level of Powai lake has touched the danger mark.
Water-logging in Mumbai has also seen horror stories to add to the agony of Mumbaikars. Mumbai, a coastal city, has low lying areas and some high and structures built on land and reclaimed between seven islands; hence it makes the shape of Mumbai as saucer, where water naturally flows down into these low-lying areas naturally.
In Mumbai, 90% of the storm water is drained out through dedicated drains that bring strain and pressure on the drainage system. One of the major causes of Mumbai getting blocked and choked during monsoon is expanding encroachment along the drains, means clearing and cleaning of solid waste becomes a Herculean task for the civic authorities despite pre-monsoon cleaning of drains.
Potholes on the street add to the trouble due to weak and bad road construction, making Mumbaikars’ life hell during monsoon. BMC has been claiming of doing their best during monsoon, but all efforts have gone in vain. It’s been more than 24 years that BMC is controlled by the Shiv Senal, but instead of finding solutions, it has led to miseries by blaming everything to nature’s fury. Thus, even after 75 years of Independence, Mumbai, the economic capital of India, cannot handle the rains without getting choked every year.