Mumbai’s Natural Calamity: Rain and Suffering - 2005
The heavy rainfall in Mumbai on 26th July 2005 had created water logging in and around Mumbai causing disruption of transport, overflowing of water channels on the road; thereby flooded water in all the low lying areas reached the houses, hospitals, shopping complexes, offices, institutes and industries. This had led to disruption of the normal lives of people. The people and animals had also become victims of this disastrous rain. It was reported that many people lost their lives due to flood water and falling of debris in some housing areas. Lots of properties have been damaged due to heavy flooded water in and around Mumbai. The sewage pipes and water pipelines due to heavy force were also damaged in some areas which resulted into faecal contamination in the drinking water causing diseases like leptospirosis, gastroenteritis, dysentery, diarrhea, jaundice, eye conjunctivitis etc. The huge solid waste was also generated due to mixing of garbage, household damaged wastes, biomedical wastes, industrial wastes and market wastes etc. The pathogens from dead animals and human bodies also reached water bodies. This might have created new borne pathogens as a source for water-borne diseases. The water-borne diseases were a problem in Mumbai because of severely contaminated water. The physicochemical characteristics of water were assessed in different areas.
Mumbai’s this disaster occurred due to down pouring of rain which has made the authority to make the proper planning for drainage/water pipelines/road construction, housing and shopping complexes and disaster management, in case of emergency, for this cosmopolitan city before the next rainy season begins. The scenario that occurred during the heavy rainfall on 26th July 2005 and thereafter for a couple of days has been reported in the present paper.