he monsoon in 2016 accounted for 26 of these days, while 21 such events have already been recorded this monsoon. (Source: Express Photo/Ganesh Shirsekar)
The financial capital has witnessed a more than 52 per cent increase in the number of heavy rainfall days over the past two years, according to rainfall data obtained from the Mumbai municipality. Since June 2016, the city has witnessed 47 events when rainfall recorded was over 65 mm in a day, the data said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) qualifies rainfall above 65 mm as heavy. The monsoon in 2016 accounted for 26 of these days, while 21 such events have already been recorded this monsoon. In comparison, the preceding two years had recorded 31 heavy rain days.
Incidentally, the same data reveals that there has been a gradual decline in the total number of rain days over the past one decade. In the 2006 monsoon, Mumbai witnessed 107 rain days in all. But by 2016, the number of rain days had come down to 93. The average number of rain days over the past decade is also down to 95.
However, the total rainfall witnessed in Mumbai hasn’t seen much deviation. There has been a slight increase in the total rainfall over the past few years. A senior civic official said: “The data indicate that extreme rain events have increased due to climatic changes, global warming.”
Over the past 11 years, the government and the municipality have pumped several crores towards “strengthening the city’s infrastructure to resist flood risks” but senior official admitted that Tuesday’s waterlogging showed that there are major deficits to be addressed.
Officials also agreed that rapid construction activities in the commercial capital have swallowed some of the green landscapes that serve as nature’s absorbents for rainwater. Tuesday’s rain has exposed that the city’s stormwater drains along roads need further augmentation.
