A massive billboard collapsed during a dust storm in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, claiming 14 lives and injuring scores of others in a grim reminder of climate change's impact on urban landscapes. The incident has reignited warnings issued years ago by renowned author Amitav Ghosh about the perilous nature of billboards in cyclonic conditions.
Amitav Ghosh, known for his fiction novels and non-fiction works highlighting environmental issues, had forewarned about Mumbai's billboards turning into "deadly projectiles" during cyclones in his book 'The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable'.
Reflecting on Monday's disaster, Ghosh spoke the urgency of addressing this risk, stating on X, "The recent storm was nowhere near as damaging as a major cyclone would be. Mumbai really needs to cut back drastically on billboards."
The collapse occurred during a sudden storm, when a towering 120 x 120-feet billboard crashed onto a petrol pump, trapping over 100 individuals. Authorities revealed that the billboard was installed illegally, sparking outrage and prompting a culpable homicide investigation against those associated with the firm responsible for its installation.
Ghosh’s book “The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable” was published in 2016, his first major non-fiction work since “In an Antique Land” where he examined the inability—at the level of literature, history, and politics—to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.
Speaking to NDTV, Ghosh spoke about the Mumbai incident reiterating that if a major cyclone hits the city, the hoardings will create an "absolute disaster."
He also said that Mumbai is at a greater risk for damage than Kolkata or Chennai because of the "huge concentration" of skyscrapers. "These skyscrapers are glass fronted, they are squeezed in together and in the event of a cyclone, they would be bombarded with hoardings, tin roofs, asbestos and so on. This will be a major problem for Mumbai going forward."
The dust storm and the subsequent heavy rain in Mumbai occurred way before the arrival of Monsoon this year – hinting that changing weather patterns are a sign of climate change.
Despite Mumbai getting flooded or waterlogged almost every other monsoon season (June to September), the civic authorities have not taken enough steps to combat the problem. Tragedy strikes almost every year, claiming lives and destroying property, and yet no lessons are learned.
Ghosh’s warning eight years ago, and now him reiterating the challenges associated with infrastructure during a natural calamity again find a spotlight in the wake of the Mumbai tragedy.
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