Heavy rain has caused at least 15 deaths and triggered massive rail, road and air transport disruptions in India’s financial capital Mumbai.
The victims died when a wall collapsed on them in the early hours of Tuesday after persistent rainfall for two days. Authorities have declared a public holiday on Tuesday and have requested people to stay indoors. Experts have blamed rapid construction and bad urban planning for what many call Mumbai’s annual rain chaos, reports BBC.
The victims were mostly laborers working at a construction site in the suburban area of Malad. Authorities said the wall had weakened after several days of rainfall.
Many parts of Mumbai are heavily flooded
The city has witnessed continuous rain in the past two days, causing flood-like situation in many areas. Officials have requested people to be cautious.
Senior Met Department official KS Hosalikar has tweeted that there won’t be any respite from rains on Tuesday.
Railway officials have also announced that the suburban rail network, which is known as the city’s lifeline, will not be running on several routes.
Aviation authorities have also shut down the main runway at Mumbai’s international airport after a plane skid off the runway while landing amid heavy downpour. Officials said no passenger was injured in the incident. The second runway continues to be in operation but several flights are likely to be delayed or canceled.
The city’s low-lying areas have turned into flood zones and residents are being forced to stay indoors. Many of them have taken to social media to post pictures and videos. Some have blamed the city’s civic authorities for not preparing for the heavy rainfall.
Mumbai was brought to a halt in 2017 as well when heavy rain lashed the city. And it witnessed one of its worst disasters in 2005 when at least 900 people died in rain-triggered floods.
Thousands of people migrate to the city every day in search of jobs which fuels rapid construction, which is very often unregulated. Many areas in the city have aging drainage systems and that causes flooding as well. Meanwhile, at least six people also died in the neighboring city of Pune when a wall collapsed on them.
