Mumbai rains: Netizens want BMC to set up ‘special swimming classes’ as several areas get flooded

The early arrival of monsoon resulted in incessant rain in Mumbai, bringing the city to a standstill, leaving numerous areas waterlogged and severely disrupting transport and flight services. As residents grappled with the familiar chaos, social media platforms quickly filled with Mumbaikars' reactions to large parts of the city going under water.

Heavy downpours were recorded across various parts of the city between 6 am and 7 am, with Nariman Point receiving 40 mm of rain, Grant Road 36 mm, Colaba 31 mm, and Byculla 21 mm. While eastern and western suburbs reported lighter showers, the impact on key areas like Sion, Kurla, Dadar, and Parel was immediate and severe, turning streets into murky rivers.

As the city struggled, Mumbaikars took to social media to share their experiences, often with a mix of frustration and dark humour. Amid visuals of flooded streets and submerged vehicles, one user, Atul Avhad, quipped on X, "Special swimming classes should be introduced by BMC," tagging the civic body.

"Kudos to BMC for consistently delivering on their promise to turn Mumbai into a giant puddle every monsoon season!" commented Bombay High Court advocate AS Pradhan (@AdvASPradhan1).

Bhaumik Gowande, a city and transport planning researcher, offered a more critical analysis, explaining on X that the worsening situation goes "beyond garbage-free sewers." He attributed the chronic waterlogging to "increased surface runoff from unchecked road concretisation, with no recharge pits or percolation." Gowande also highlighted a "key flaw is the neglect of topography in planning, leading to low-lying areas & chronic waterlogging zones," adding that "Added to the tides, it gets worse."