Mumbai Floods: Man Made Disaster

This year India has witnessed unprecedented monsoon showers and as many as 10 states have been affected by this deluge which has resulted in floods drowning vast expanse of land putting life off gear. Crop and livestock’s damaged, people rendered homeless as their homes remained submerged under water. Though floods are an annual occurrence in India with almost 15% of its region prone to flooding. On an average 2000, lives are lost and over 80 lakhs hectares of crop land get damaged due to floods annually. 

People of Mumbai cannot forget the catastrophic floods of 2005 which left more than 500 persons dead. The financial capital of India anticipates and dreads the onset of monsoons every year. This year though the monsoons arrived late by 10 days but the incessant downpour inundated much of the commercial hub. The low lying areas had to bear the brunt of storm water entering the homes of people and restaurants as this year Mumbai also witnessed the highest amount of rainfall of over 550 millimeters of rain which happens to be highest in a decade over just two days of rains.
This year monsoon floods claimed lives of 22 people who have died in rain related accidents across the financial capital, with old buildings and compounds collapsing in the deluge burying more than 12 people under its rubbles. The ravages of monsoon floods affected 10 districts of Maharashtra that include, Pune, Sangli,Kolhapur which were worst affected. More than 4.5 lakhs people had to be evacuated to 372 relief camps.
One question that plagues every Mumbaikar is why despite past experiences Mumbai still suffers year after year during monsoons. Thanks to the poor civic planning and inefficient drainage systems. Every year before monsoons the BMC promises to gear up and take up necessary steps to ensure a safe monsoon however, times and again it has failed in its efforts to prevent water logging across the city. Mumbai has major drainage issue and during monsoons when the high tide is on the rainwater does not flow out of the city. It backs up and inundates all the low lying areas specially parts of the railway tracks which are said to be few feet below the mean sea level (MSL).
Owing to this repetition year after year, on the 21st of August this year Ex-MP Nana Patole has requested through a letter addressed to Chief Justice Nandrajog of Mumbai High Court to declare the floods in Maharashtra as man- made disaster. Mr. Nana Patole along with Social activist Dr. Sanjay Lakhe Patil has appealed to the court to take decision under Disaster Management Act 2005 (section 2-(d).
They requested the honorable court to take cognizance of the inaction by the responsible department and the delayed response to be investigated by an expert committee set up by the court, and that this committee should also suggest the required effective preventive measures to prevent this calamity that puts life of people in peril, discomfort year after year.

By: Madhuchanda Saxena
Content: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/declare-maharashtra-flood-man-made-disaster-ex-mp-nana-patole-requests-bombay-high-court-1583622-2019-08-21