It rained ‘cats and dogs’ in Mumbai over the last two days and this brought back horrific memories of July 26, 2005, floods back to the mind of Mumbaikars. Although it did not rain anywhere near to that this time, yet it was enough to bring the fast paced life of Mumbai to a standstill. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head of services at the India Meteorological Department told IE,”Parts of Mumbai can get inundated with even 50 mm of rainfall. And in the last two days, the city has received over 350 mm of the downpour. These rains were forecast well in advance. No special event has triggered it. And it is not very unusual for Mumbai. It has received more rains in the past.”
He added,”What has been crucial in this spell is the timing of the rains. Had the same amount of rainfall happened in May or June, the situation would not have been so bad. But Mumbai already has had about 2,000 mm of rainfall this monsoon season (since June) which is more than normal. The soil is already saturated with moisture. Its ability to absorb water is diminished. So we are seeing a much larger impact of the rains on city life,” the report added.
According to Meteorological officials, a low-pressure area had developed over southern Madhya Pradesh, which led to rains all over the country. The meteorological department has predicted more rain in large parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat over the next couple of days. For Mumbai, it could mean nearly 500 mm over three to four days, added the report.