New Delhi: Mumbai and Pune are getting battered by rain, with the devastating downpour greatly affecting daily life and bringing a lot of activities to a standstill. However, this is not something, Mumbai is experiencing for the first time. Co-incidentally, around 19 years ago, Mumbai was ravaged by rain as nature unleashed its fury on the financial capital of India. How? Read on and learn about that incident.
July 26, 2005: When Mumbai came to a halt
On July 26-27, 2005, devastating floods gripped Maharashtra and badly affected the metropolis of Mumbai. So much so that in the state capital alone, around 1,094 people lost their lives. On that day, the city of Mumbai came to a standstill due to flooding.
Why did the floods occur?
And here, the rain makes its entry. On the afternoon of July 26, a severe storm and subsequent deluge struck the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. So much so, that the Indian Meteorological Department station in Santacruz recorded 944 millimetres, making it the wettest day in the financial capital back then. In fact, it still remains one of the wettest days on record in India, one which finds its place in the top 10. Rainfall continued to the next day and even throughout the next week, Mumbai experienced torrential rainfall.
The immense rain halted the movement of the local train, a major transportation in the city as the tracks were water-logged. It increased traffic on roads and certain places like Dharavi and Bandra-Kurla Complex faced severe waterlogging and some low-lying pockets of the region were submerged. While many people were stranded on the roads, many lost their homes while others travelled long distances on foot.
The floods also stranded school children who were unable to go back home for up to 24 hours. The state government had to declare the next two days as school and college holidays. Moreover, the sewage system overflowed, and all water lines were contaminated, making the entire system extremely unhygienic. Due to this, the government instructed every housing society to add chlorine to their water tanks. Not to mention the floods caused huge financial losses in the city.
While the drainage system in Mumbai came under scrutiny due to these floods, questions were also raised about the destruction of mangrove ecosystems along the Mithi River and Mahim Creek. On top of that, climate change was also held responsible for the woes of Mumbai.
On July 26-27, 2005, devastating floods gripped Maharashtra and badly affected the metropolis of Mumbai. So much so that in the state capital alone, around 1,094 people lost their lives. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
