Reacting to the severe flooding in Mumbai after parts of the city received as much as 300 mm of rainfall, throwing daily life out of gear, the commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Ajoy Mehta, has compared the deluge to the 2005 flooding, saying, "Situation is better than it was during the 2005 deluge."
Notably, the 300 mm rainfall that Mumbai received on Tuesday is markedly lower than the 900 mm mark that wreaked havoc on the city on 26 July 2005.
While the present deluge has already claimed the lives of 5 people, the 2005 floods in the financial capital left as many as 500 people dead.
(Catch all the live updates on the Mumbai rains here.)
Giving an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Mehta also detailed the steps that have been taken to bring the current situation under control.
While he did call the rainfall "unprecedented", Mehta said that the water levels were kept "under check" and did recede quickly, as the sewer system was used to drain the excess water. He also claimed that as many 30,000 employees of the BMC were present on the streets to help tackle the situation.
Lot of infrastructural changes have taken place over the years, but definitely, more needs to be done... We do need to increase drainage capacity in specific areas.Ajoy Mehta, BMC Commissioner
The commissioner also lauded the coordination among the various agencies – the BMC, Railways, the traffic police, the BEST, among others – in order to effectively tackle the flood situation.
He also urged the media to play a proactive role in dispelling unnecessary rumours regarding the floods, also outlining how the BMC has used television media as well as social media to give out crucial information regarding the floods.
With heavy rainfall predicted to continue for the next 24 hours, Mehta urged the city's residents to remain indoors, while indicating that the BMC will continue to monitor the situation.
... All necessary BMC personnel will remain on guard in the city. Leaves of all necessary departments have also been cancelled.Ajoy Mehta, BMC Commissioner
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)