Monsoon is likely to cover Delhi by the last week of June. But even before the arrival of monsoon, on May 25, the national capital and its satellite cities witnessed heavy rainfall. And then, as it happens every year, the streets got inundated with water. Public transport as well as flight services were affected. Overall, the NCR came to a halt.
May 26 Mumbai rains
The same happened to India’s financial capital Mumbai as well. On May 26, the city witnessed heavy rain and thunderstorms. According to the BMC, the city’s civic body, several pockets received over 200 mm of rainfall. That led to flooding of the streets. Local trains as well as bus services also got interrupted.
May 18 Bengaluru rains
IT city Bengaluru also came to a standstill on May 18, after pre-monsoon thundershowers hit the city. With 130 mm rainfall in half a day’s time, streets and homes got flooded and at least three people lost their lives.Now, this is not the first time our city streets have turned into giant water bodies, with overflowing nallahs and cars floating around. In India, this has become an annual ritual. We see this every year, post memes on social media, and then go back to our daily grind. We don’t pause and ask why this is happening to us. If we asked, the answers were obvious.
Drainage systems, a joke
One of the key reasons is the fact that our drainage systems are a joke. For example, in Mumbai the BMC spent over ₹3,000 crore on stormwater drains this year. However, as per reports, they didn’t even finish cleaning the drains before the rains hit.
Unregulated concrete jungles
Second, the unregulated manner in which concrete jungles are expanding across our biggest cities. We are building our cities on ponds, lakes and wetlands – the places which would have absorbed the extra water from the monsoons. Add to that, in Bengaluru, there’s a 30–40-foot thick concrete layer under the ground, so rainwater can’t even seep into the soil.
The silver lining: Is it enough?
The list of what we are doing wrong is long. Now, there’s a silver lining. According to a 2024 Reuters report, the central government is investing around ₹2,500 crore to expand water bodies and improve drainage in seven major cities.
Harappans could, why can’t we?
But let’s be real, that’s not enough. Real change will only happen when we demand better planning. The way our ancestors planned 4,500 years ago in Harappa. Or the way global cities like Singapore, Tokyo and Amsterdam have planned today. As citizens, we could do our bit by stopping treating floods like some yearly meme-fest and actually call out the chaos. The next time your city floods, we tag the people in charge, ask questions, and vote smarter.
