Mumbai Floods Expose City’s Weaknesses
The torrential downpour was ultimately responsible for the Mumbai floods that killed 406 of the city’s residents and caused millions of dollars of losses in industry, agriculture, and commerce, but Mumbai residents are wondering if the damage was unnecessarily high. Mumbai’s century-old sewer system is clogged with garbage, prohibiting street drainage. The shantys of the poor and the garbage of the rich have clogged gutters, and swamps that help control flooding during storm season have been built over. And the Mithi River, which once carried heavy rains to the Arabian Sea, has been cut off by road construction and is now filled with feces.
Resident Gerhson D’Cunha laments, “It is bad weather that has caused part of the tragedy, but it is bad government policy that has compounded bad weather.” But optimists hope that the disaster will lead to stricter building laws and repaired infrastructure. And maybe the tragedy will serve as a wake-up call to city officials whose negligence caused the death of hundreds of Mumbaikars.