Beyond the usual problems that surface every monsoon, Mumbai is riddled with civic issues we tend to forget, mostly because we’ve grown so used to living with them.
Hardly a month ago, Mumbaikars won’t stop complaining about melting like wax under the blazing sun. With water levels dropping to single digits across all reservoirs, chaos reigned even in Lower Parel penthouses. Everyone stared at the sky with hopeful eyes, eager to spot the first dark cloud of the season. But when it came, it didn’t rain; it poured. Suddenly, everyone’s eagerness turned into despair, as monsoon’s salvation brought with it the age-old problems.
Mumbai and monsoon are like two dimensions never meant to meet. Yet they do every year, resulting in a civic nightmare at its worst. If only the Civic bodies had six months, year after year, round the clock, to fix these issues. But that’s just wishful thinking. Instead of ensuring that the city that never sleeps doesn’t grind to a halt the moment dark clouds roll in, we’re back to navigating life through waterlogged roads, submerged railway tracks, crater-sized potholes, and the inevitable spike in waterborne diseases. A few hours of torrential rain, and the city goes back to being those seven forgotten islands. But that’s just scratching the tip of the iceberg.
