Mumbai rains: BMC restores normalcy after 24-hour downpour

BMC control room personnel monitor the situation. Pic/By Special Arrangement

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration emergency response system operated round-the-clock at full capacity, bringing the city back to normal and functional on Wednesday morning after the heavy downpour which went on for 24 hours (Tuesday and Wednesday), officials have said.

What worked?

IoT-based monitoring system: The Internet of Things (IoT) devices allowed officials to monitor the operational status, location, start-stop timings, working duration, and technical data of each dewatering pump in real time. A senior civic official said, "This helped, because at all times we were aware of how many pumps are operational."

Waterlogging witnessed on the Western Express Highway on Tuesday night. PIC/ASHISH RAJE

Early warning system: The system alerts the BMC in advance to the possibility of over 100 mm of rainfall in the city.

Orange and red alerts

A senior civic official said that there was an orange alert and a red alert for rains indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall, which put the administration on high alert throughout the night. "BMC's disaster control room received an orange alert after 1.00 am and a red alert after 3 am [on Wednesday]. The control room was monitoring the waterlogging, said the official, adding that they were working throughout the night.

"The BMC's disaster management department continuously monitored low-lying areas, railway stations, key roads, bridges, and coastal areas of the city. Engineers, staff, and control room personnel from the concerned departments worked round-the-clock, responding to complaints," added the official.

24-hour rainfall

Mumbai witnessed a non-stop downpour between 8 am on Tuesday and 8 am on Wednesday. During this period, rainfall of 248 mm was recorded at Colaba and 225 mm at Santacruz.