After the destructive deluge of August 29 that hit Mumbai, two symbols of ineptitude and needless death continue to rankle. The first was the drowning of renowned gastroenterologist Dr Deepak Amrapurkar, who stepped into an open manhole amidst the swirling rain waters. His body was fished out from the Worli gutters two days later. The irony was he followed the police advice: ‘If the water level goes above your car tyres, get out and walk’.
The second was the collapse of the 6-story Husaini Building in the crowded Bhendi Bazar locality, in south Mumbai, a day after the rains stopped. The 117-year building had been declared unsafe by local municipal authorities. No one knows why families were still allowed to occupy the teetering building. The toll was heavy. In all, 33 people were crushed to death. In one case, Querish is the only survivor of the 8-member Lightvala family.
Warning systems failed
In the forward march of urbanisation, it defies logic why our city planners cannot get two essential things right: The development of an early disaster warning system; and the renewal of city infrastructure. No lessons were learnt after 955 mm of rain drowned Mumbai, and killed 1,493 persons more than a decade ago on 26 July 2005. The stories and images are the same.
To avoid flood and rain disasters, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) must provide timely warnings, and the local authorities must act on them. In Mumbai both failed. The IMD claims it had warned of a ‘deluge-like situation’ with 200 mm of rain likely on Tuesday morning. The municipal corporation’s disaster management cell says the ‘warning’ was issued not for the city but for the surrounding regions. Even if the IMD issued the warning on the morning of the deluge, it was too late. People had left for work.
It all happened in a couple of hours. There was lashing rain between 2.00 PM and 6.30 PM. More than 80 percent of the 313 mm came down in those 4 hours. People were stuck in offices, trapped in cars and trains trying to rush home. Those in low-lying areas had no time to evacuate.
There is equipment available in the form of 10 Doppler radars in India and scientific analysis of the data can predict storms and rainfall levels more than 48 hours in advance. Mumbaikars, oft victims of such storms and disaster, are responsive. They would have stayed at home. But the warnings never came. Media too failed. Instead of broadcasting the early signs and keeping people out of harm’s way, the TV networks preferred to have a field day after the deluge.
Crumbling infrastructure
In a concrete jungle like Mumbai, draining away of water to prevent flooding is entirely dependent on how well its storm water drains work. First built by the British in 1860, the city is a criss-cross of 2,000 kilometres of open drains, 440 km of closed drains, 186 outfalls and more than 30,000 water entrances. If these are choked, water will enter homes and colonies: and the train corridors become rivers. This old British network has been repaired and refurbished, but never renewed. Since 1985, the city fathers have been at work to put a new Brihanmumbai Storm Water Disposal System (BRIMSTOWAD) in place. The money, about Rs 1,200 crore is yet to be found; worse, there seems to be little will.
In Mumbai’s cloudbursts, the main killer is not water drowning people but buildings collapsing. This year too, 33 perished in one building collapse as compared to 14 deaths reported due to drowning. Mumbai is an old city with as many as 19,000 ‘cessed’ British era buildings. Of these 5,000 are over a 100 years old, while 7,608 are over 80 years old. About 2 million people live in these buildings. The government housing agency Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority (Mhada) is mandated to repair and rebuild the most dangerous. In most cases, Mhada sticks notices informing residents that the building is ‘dangerous’ and advises them to ‘move out’. But with lack of alternatives in the shelter-starved city, where do the people go?
The Husaini Building was one such ‘cessed’ tower of death. It is these building that have to be evacuated, demolished and rebuilt on a war footing. Housing for All by 2022 and the Smart Cities Mission are slogans that must first find meaning in blighted cities like Mumbai if we are to avoid more disaster in the coming monsoons.
Mumbai’s old infra
Mumbai is an old city with 19,000 ‘cessed’ British era buildings. Of these 5,000 are over a 100 years old, while 7,608 are over 80 years. About 2 million live in these buildings.
(The author can be contacted at gurbir1@gmail.com)