Floods in Mumbai, India
Case study
Velery Da Costa
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Monsoon Floods in Mumbai, India
Introduction
The July 2005 floods called attention to India’s vulnerabilities and illuminated weaknesses in
the city’s disaster management. While vulnerability factors such as poor sanitation and water
drainage systems, crumbling buildings, and the massive population of slum dwellers are
easily visible, other factors including the socio-economic root causes of poverty, corrupt real
estate policies and practices and weaknesses in urban governance require deeper
investigation. Growing risk is associated directly and indirectly with rapid urban population
growth.5 The population of the city and its surrounding suburban areas increased by 38%
from approximately 12,420,600 in 1991 to approximately 20 million by the end of 2005.6
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Individual and Collective Vulnerability
Disaster risk is a product of the coming together of human and environmental hazards and
human vulnerability. Vulnerability is accumulated through poverty, social marginalization
and environmentally unsound housing, creating a susceptibility and proclivity to disasters.
Vulnerability is experienced by individuals and also collectively by social units such as
households, families, communities and cities. Action to reduce vulnerability at one scale has
the potential to reduce vulnerability at other scales or for other individuals or groups.
Physical Hazard as Exposure
The July 26 floods took Mumbai’s government by surprise. While Mumbai is prone to
unstable weather, there are distinct reasons why the 2005 floods caused so much damage.
Without a city government system, the city’s development is managed by the Maharashtra
state government and appointed city planners. Throughout the years, the government of
Maharashtra and Mumbai’s many development agencies have ignored outdated regulations
and policies that have led to specific chronic problems and exacerbated Mumbai’s exposure to
disaster, specifically during the July 2005 floods. Neglecting archaic zoning regulations, rent
control policies and inflated land markets, in particular, have contributed to the overall
vulnerability of Mumbai and its inhabitants.10
Slum Dwellers’ Unique Exposure Experience
In cities like Mumbai, where the majority population is forced to live in slum conditions, the
sustainability and viability of the city as a whole must be considered as being in a place of
significant risk to disasters. The people living in informal housing throughout Mumbai are
more prone to health related risks due to the unsanitary conditions in which they are forced to
live, but their location, poor infrastructure and lack of accessibility, make them the most
vulnerable group in Greater Mumbai. At the greatest risk to hazards, slum dwellers
experience the brunt of Mumbai’s natural disasters.
Typically, these populations occupy land that is close to the streets or main transportation
hubs such as railways. The railway system allows workers to gain access to the center of the
city from the suburbs, but its periphery serves as an attraction for informal settlements
Gaps in Urban Development Planning
Despite spectacle among Mumbaikers, Mumbai’s Disaster Management Plan (DMP),
prepared by the Relief and Rehabilitation Division of the Government of Maharashtra was in
place prior to the July 2005 floods. The Government of Maharashtra developed India’s first
urban disaster management plan for Mumbai in the late – 1990s. The DMP was designed to
accompany the Maharashtra state DMP, which focuses primarily on creating and coordinating
institutional networks with little focus on Mumbai’s unique disaster risk context.19
Faulty Drainage Systems
Equally as alarming are aged and poorly maintained drainage systems throughout Mumbai.
There are two main “problem areas” in Mumbai where water collects and the drainage system
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fails. The two areas are in the central depression near Colaba and the suburban areas,
especially those surrounding the Mithi River. It is no surprise that these were the areas that
were most affected by the July 2005 floods resulting in the highest number of deaths.26
Colaba, the city’s center, has an over 100-year-old drainage system which is cracked and
frequently leak into drinking water pipelines. In addition to their dilapidated structure, the
pipelines are far underground below sea level. During the monsoon season when the rains
raise the sea water level, these pipelines flood with water, mixing with street sewage and
causing subsequent street closings every year.27
The second problem area of Mumbai is that in the surrounding suburban areas the
underground drainage system for the river has not yet been completed. Due to the pressure to
create housing for the growing population and incentives of high real estate profits, the
development of suburban areas were precarious and insufficient in establishing the necessary
infrastructure. While there are open sewers throughout this area, they are usually clogged with
garbage and closed due to road expansion and construction. This area is home to both new
government development and the largest portion of the city’s slum dwellers population
residing on the Mithi River’s banks.28 In fact, 70 per cent of the Mithi River’s embankments
are occupied by informal settlements.29
Government Coping Strategies
The government’s short and mid term responses to disaster followed the same line of
performance seen in their maintenance of the infrastructure and management of the city’s
development. Once the rains began to accumulate by the end of the first day, the Chief
Minister of Mumbai’s state of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, declared a two-day public
holiday for all city employees, including those needed for relief and rescue efforts.32 Instead
of looking for ways to improve the city’s response, India’s Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh,
on his visit to Mumbai following the deluge, insisted that the Meteorological Department
(IMD) upgrade its weather forecasting technology immediately.33
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Conclusion
The collective vulnerability of slum dwellers due to chronic physical and socioeconomic
hazards is an inherent barrier to disaster risk mitigation and sustainable development in
Mumbai. Acknowledging this fact will lead to more responsible and effective city
management that addresses issues related to disaster exposure, resistance and resilience. Only
by identifying policy gaps and seizing potential assets to disaster risk mitigation such as
community resiliency will Mumbai achieve its development goals. A comprehensive disaster
management plan and implementation process that supports the needs and strengths of all
Mumbaikers will promote prolonged growth of the city and its inhabitants.
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