On July 26, 2005, I found myself stranded at an office for two days after 944 mm of rain fell upon the Bombay metropolitan region. It had begun pouring a day before, and continued for the next 48 hours, leaving behind scenes that wouldn’t seem out of place in any movie about an apocalypse. I remember being safe, happy to be with colleagues whose company I enjoyed, and protected from the worst of what was going on outside. Unfortunately, thousands of people in the city weren’t as lucky. Approximately 1094 died, water lines were contaminated, there were losses amounting to over USD $100 million, and it took months for everything to get back to a semblance of normality.

When the anger had died down, experts cited everything from poor storm-water drainage systems and unplanned development to climate change and the destruction of mangroves for what had occurred. Never again, said the people we had elected to represent us; this will never happen because we will learn from these mistakes and transform the city.