Nearly one-third of the Maharashtra state capital, Mumbai, is under water. The Water Drainage System in the City is 110 years old. The State Government had issued a notification just before the monsoons that it was ready to tackle any untoward happenning during the monsoons..
Here are some excerpts.
A:
"Most places in India don't receive this kind of rainfall in a year. This is the highest ever recorded in India's history," R.V. Sharma, director of the meteorological department in Mumbai, told The Associated Press.India's previous heaviest rainfall, recorded at Cherrapunji in Meghalaya state -- one of the rainiest places on Earth -- was 33 inches on July 12, 1910, Sharma said. "
At least 25 people drowned after being trapped in cars or crushed by falling walls, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, on Wednesday.
The deaths included seven children killed in a landslide in Andheri .
B:
Western and Central Railway trains were stopped at about 2:00 pm (IST) on Tuesday. The Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall with gusty winds for Mumbai and suburbs.The Pune-Western Express Highway has been closed and all trains to Pune have been cancelled as railway tracks were submerged.
The All India Radio reported about 150,000 people were stranded in railway stations across Mumbai,
The Chhatrapati Shivaji domestic and Sahar international airports in Mumbai, have been shut down since Tuesday evening, and all incoming flights were being diverted to New Delhi and other airports.
D:
My sister reached home safely at 11 am today after 19 hours. there was no
police, no navy but around 200 locals who saved their lives.
The story goes like this as told by my sister... people get stranded on buses, cars in kurla at around 4 pm, water reaches neck level in the single decker buses when locals rush to help them. they break some seats, get ropes so that people can hold it
and float from the single decker bus to double decker bus in neck deep water.
Passengers stay overnight in the bus, around 150 in the upper deck as the deck
below is completely submerged in water. The locals keep a watch on them the
whole night telling them not to get scared.
E:
As soon as I reached Bombay Central (6 pm), I saw that the water had
completely submerged the tracks and was only couple of inches away from reaching
the platforms. The station was very crowded and some people told me they were
standing there since 3 pm. There was a huge rush in railway stalls selling
eatables. I helped myself to a couple of vada pavs and some aloo bhujia. I knew
its going to be a long night. The vada pav guy probably sold more vada pavs
yesterday than he does in the whole month.
F:
I overheard a person describe a short circuit in his office and fire breaking out. I was in a bus next to a girl who hadnt eaten since breakfast and was near fainting since the bus had taken over two hours from Nariman Point to the Aquarium - a distance of five kilometers! In the same bus with an over full bladder, i was thinking of a toilet and consoling myself that there were people who had more serious issues to deal with as they were unable to reach their infants and had no way of communicating their situation to their family.
G:
I was worried for my daughter who has just stepped into college four days back after clearing her SSC. She took 5 hrs walk in knee deep water to reach home at Goregaon from Narsi Monjee. We were clue less as no phones were working during that period 3pm to 8 pm. I still (its 1.34 am) remain in office just to arrange the diesel for DG set as I am working for a call center which can not afford to have no power.
H:
When we wanted to order snacks from the nearby hotel, hotel decided to exploit the situation and pocket of the hungry people. Normal sandwich which does not cost more than Rs 15 was sold at Rs 85 without bill. Same rate was there for other snacks but soon they closed the kitchen as most of the food was sold out.
I:
My sister is stuck in Goregaon in Siddharth Hospital. She had a renal transplant. I would be glad if someone could provide her food or tell me the situation in Goregaon.
J:
A never before sight, near the Sahar domestic airport signal, what I witnessed was a river flowing with heavy currents. All vehicles are stranded, not moving an inch. People are offering help to passersby to cross the river from the main highway towards Nehru Road.
Many of my colleagues' children are in school, imagine the parents plight,
the kids plight. All this is not exciting, a few of us have been lucky and are somehow indoors, but for people who are drenching outside, stuck in cars, buses, pregnant women, hope help reaches everyone and everyone reaches home safely.Thanks to the reclamation, greedy takeover of salt pans, garbage (thanks BMC). But who cares in Mumbai. Politicians, government officials all want their pockets to be filled, make as much money as possible. Thanks to that that the situation in Mumbai is this and we will blame it on the weather and high tide tomorrow, isn't it?
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