Macabre Monsoon in Mumbai:
August, 2005
It was supposed to be the monsoon. But it seemed more like the
deluge. Four days of continuous rains that began on July 26th, 2005,
flooded the state of Maharashtra. Mumbai, its capital city, was
most badly affected.
94.4 cm of rain fell in Mumbai on a single day, the highest rainfall
recorded not only in Indian history, but in the world too.
Millions were affected. Floods and landslides washed away countless
homes. At least a thousand people drowned. Tens of thousands were
stranded in their offices for three days. Floods not only submerged
many areas in the state, they also paralyzed all land transportation,
cutting off supplies of food, water and medical aid.
In
Panvel, many small villages were submerged in eight to 10 feet of
water, destroying most of the hutments here. The M. A. Math's branch
in Mumbai (MAM, Mumbai) distributed essentials such as mats, bed
sheets, stoves and kitchen utensils, rice and groceries were distributed
to the tribal folks at Khidkupada, Panvel.
The Mumbai branch of the M.A. Math swung into action, carrying
out relief activities in Panvel, the worst-hit area in Navi Mumbai,
as well as other areas of Mumbai like Borivili, Badlapur, Dahisar
and Goregaon.
Volunteers also distributed cooked food prepared at the M.A. Math
to the hundreds of refugees staying in two makeshift shelters at
Ambedkar Nagar and Shirovane.
Previous report on Mumbai
Floods
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