Mumbai recorded its second-highest rainfall in a single day, claiming at least 30 lives and injuring 100 between Monday night and Tuesday. The Santacruz weather station, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, recorded 375.2mm rain, which is the highest since the 2005 deluge.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the highest ever rainfall recorded in a single day, besides 2005, in the metropolis was on July 5, 1974, at 375.2mm. The rainfall on July 26, 2005, was the highest with 944mm in 24-hours, killing over 1,000 people.
Falling under the "exceptionally heavy category", the rainfall between Monday to Tuesday led to the city coming to a standstill, with delayed and cancelled flights and trains, and severe flooding across many parts of the suburb.
However, the IMD and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) both adopt a decentralised system of measuring precipitation. Hence, many suburban localities received rainfall well over the average of 375.2mm.
While Dindoshi recorded 479.56 mm rain in 24 hours, Kandivali recorded 455.91 mm, Malad recorded 451.32 mm, Chincholi recorded 447.54 mm, Goregaon recorded 412.25 mm, Vikhroli recorded 403.55 mm and Kurla recorded 399.49 mm.
The private weather forecaster Skymet had predicted a few days ago that the city this year could witness the worst rains since July 2005.
Incessant rainfall since Monday has led to accidents like wall crashes in Malad and Kalyan yesterday. The wall in Malad, which was built around only two years ago, had hutments all around it. The wall, which was over one km long and 20 ft high, was built around the BMC reservoir.
The water level kept rising around the wall after heavy downpour over the few days and around 2 am on Tuesday a 100-meter section of the wall fell and swept away the hutments. Another 50-meter section of the wall crashed, burying residents under the debris.
In another accident, two men suffocated to death after getting locked inside their SUV which was stuck in water in a Malad subway reported TOI.
Heavier downpour is predicted in the city between July 3 and 5, with Skymet claiming that Mumbai is at "serious risk of flooding".
In the wake of this, the preparedness of the city to deal with such situations is now in question. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis said after the recent incidents of casualty that the city's infrastructure cannot handle excessive rainfall in a short period of time, but new pumping stations would be operational soon.
6 pumping stations of MCGM pumped out more than 14000 Million litres of water and discharged it into the sea which is more than combined capacity of TULSI and VIHAR Lake. #MumbaiRainsLiveUpdate #MumbaiRainsUpdates #MCGMUpdates pic.twitter.com/mxl5EnRpkY
— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) July 2, 2019
"Every year, the first spell of rainfall throws normal life out of gear in Mumbai. An inquiry is needed into why this happens despite claims of preparations," said Ajit Pawar, a state opposition leader.
CM Fadnavis has ordered an inquiry into the Malad wall collapse, also announcing a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
