Even as authorities give the same excuse of ‘unprecedented rain’ whenever the city witnesses heavy rainfall, data shows that torrential downpours in a short period of time are not a rare occurrence anymore. There have been at least two instances of very heavy rain every year in the past decade and their frequency increased in the past three years. With the breaking down of city systems becoming a common sight every monsoon, experts have said that it is time for an infrastructure overhaul.

The heavy to very heavy rain may or may not be due to global warming, but it is certainly a regular affair. In the past 10 years, the city was lashed with more than 200 mm of rain every year except in 2012 and 2016 when there was a drought-like situation. The heavy rainfall occurs especially in July and August, though there are extreme weather days in June and September, too. The Santacruz observatory has recorded more such events than the one in Colaba. Sometimes, both have recorded more than 200 mm rain on the same day.