Mumbai will not forget those 4 days

These four days Mumbai will never forget. As Chennai  is reeling under heavy floods – the memories of the Mumbai deluge comes alive.  It was the worst disaster that Mumbai faced - both because of natural and man-made causes.

The great deluge of July 26, 2005! It is now 10 years and four months but for this commercial capital, this is something which would always find mention in history books – even after centuries.

There has not been planned development in Mumbai or for that matter in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which includes parts of Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts except Navi Mumbai.

Mumbai was not prepared or rather never prepared to tackle such rains. Mumbai, which is spread over 600 sq km, could not withstand the pressure of nearly 944.2 mm rainfall in 24 hours. The high tide accompanied by rainfall following a cloudburst – created havoc. Several areas were marooned for days.

It had left over 500 dead and lakhs homeless in Mumbai and its far eastern and western suburbs. Road, rail and air transport had come to a standstill, communication system was paralysed and the damage cost more than Rs 2,000 crore.

It was a case of urban flash floods – now commonly referred to as 26/7. Lakhs of people were stranded at different places during the deluge and could reach home only after the second or third day. Some did not.

The reasons were one too many. Firstly, there were unprecedented rains – the highest in a century on a single day.

Secondly, the pressure on land in Mumbai is too high coupled with unplanned development.

Thirdly, high tide coupled with rains led to severe pressure on the 100-year-old storm water drainage system.