For those who spent their childhood in Mumbai, a big perk of its characteristically relentless rain was the inevitable school holiday declaration that would follow an all-night downpour. As adults, a lucky few still look forward to a day working from home accompanied by ginger chai and pakoras. But even as we romance the monsoon, there’s the other side that’s hard to ignore: the crumbling infrastructure, people stuck in floods, various types of damage attributed to an act of God. As Mumbai faces rain of epic proportions yet again, we count down the last few times monsoons defeated our largest cities - it’s happening far too frequently for comfort.
Mumbai - 2005 Mumbai Floods
On July 26, 2005 the metropolis of Mumbai received over 944 mm of rain in a 24-hour period, resulting in over 1094 people losing their lives. The city came to a complete standstill, with train systems stopping entirely, low-lying areas getting submerged, and thousands of citizens stranded outside their homes.
The disasters continued to multiply, with health hazards quickly developing due to an antiquated sewage system, overloaded public infrastructure, and overworked rescue operations. Connectivity over highways to other cities was severely affected due to flooding, flights were grounded and the Bombay Stock Exchange was only partially functional. This disastrous incident is still a touchstone for flood reporting to date.
Chennai - 2015 South Indian Floods
During a month-long bout of heavy rain from November to December, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh experienced massive, unending rainfall over a few days that decimated them. The city of Chennai was particularly affected, experiencing the worst flooding the city had experienced in a century. Around 60% of the city lost power supply, schools and colleges were shut down, and the city was officially declared a disaster area. While the final government report estimated around 420 people died during the course of the rains, police estimated the number to be over 500 for the Chennai region alone and rescue workers estimated the hundreds more were missing. Over 3 million Chennai families suffered some form of damage to their homes.
Delhi NCR - 2013 North Indian Floods
In June 2013, over a period of three days, Uttarakhand and adjoining regions received over 375% more than the rainfall it usually receives during an average monsoon. While hilly areas in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were most affected by unexpected landslides and flash floods that resulted in massive property damage and loss of life, New Delhi experienced its after-effects also. Most notably, the Indira Gandhi International Airport—a major terminus in the country—experienced flooding that delayed flights, in addition to the Delhi Metro being affected. Images of buses submerged in waterlogged streets with citizens wading to safety went viral.
Mumbai - 2017 Flood
Last year saw what many consider a repeat of the disastrous 2005 Mumbai floods. Despite advance warning, over 20 people were reported dead due to submerged roads, building collapses and overworked rescue operations due to a deluge. While the death toll was lower, the city experienced a complete breakdown reminiscent of the 2005 floods - railways broke down, power supply was affected, cars were abandoned causing traffic snarls and citizens were forced to rely on individuals and groups for help and rescue, instead of organised rescue operations.
Bengaluru - 2017 Flood
On Independence Day in 2017, residents of the affluent Bengaluru neighbourhoods of Koramangala, Ulsoor and HSR Layout woke up to disaster. Thanks to incessant rains and flooding across the city over the last month, they found themselves trapped in their home or en route to work due to intense flooding in low-lying areas across the city. Citizens were rescued via boats, cars abandoned, and commuters in danger from every direction saw the city grind to a standstill. The flooding was the final straw that decimated the city’s crumbling infrastructure - from overflowing nullahs breaking under pressure to overflowing Bellandur lake spreading toxic chemicals into gated communities on its banks, Bengalureans were forced to evacuate their homes, and reckon with property damage and loss of life thanks to an underprepared system.
Guwahati - 2017 North-Eastern Floods
The northeast is particularly prone to monsoon-related disasters, particularly flooding. Each year, reports emerge of landslides and floods cutting off road access or affecting people and animals in the Kaziranga National Park. More developed parts of these verdant lands are not immune to these effects - Guwahati is described as a trough where floodwaters accumulate, submerging entire neighbourhoods and cutting off access for rescue teams. In 2017, reports suggested between 5 and 15 people were maimed or killed, as a direct or indirect consequence of the flooding. Locals have demanded better infrastructure to cope with this repetitive issue, but to this day, the hilly terrain amplifies the damage caused by the monsoon.
