The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Mumbai rains

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Wednesday, Aug 03, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Mumbai rains

Television images of Mumbaikars wading through the streets with water almost up to their necks are disturbing. The inability of the local authorities to develop a disaster management system is condemnable. It is unfortunate that the authorities are almost always caught off-guard and ill-prepared for contingencies.

Prashant Solomon,
New Delhi

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Mumbai is the city where the highest tax revenue is generated. But that seems to have made no difference to the plight of Mumbaikars. One wonders where all the taxes have gone. Looks like the Municipal Corporation and the Government dissolved in rainwater. As always, the brave Mumbaikars are saving the city.

Ramesh Kumar Raja,
New Delhi

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The main reason for the devastation of big cities is haphazard growth. Adequate care is not taken to protect the low-lying areas. Buildings have come up, hindering the flow of water. Land grabbers have encroached on catchment areas. There is no proper drainage facility. The whole city is paved and there is no way the water can seep in.
V. Vishwanath,
Bangalore

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Where are the Shiv Sainiks who pop up whenever there is a Valentine Day celebration, fashion show or similar `assaults' on culture? They are nowhere to be seen on Mumbai's streets.

P. Krishna,
Chennai

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The media relentlessly speak about the failure of the system to provide quick relief. But what about the rain's impact on agriculture and ground water resources? While the economic loss caused will certainly be phenomenal, nature's powerful outburst is not without gains.

Nisha Gopalan,
Chennai

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The decision of some well-known citizens, including filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, to file a public interest litigation petition against the Maharashtra Government for its poor response to the calamity is interesting. But the awakening seems to have come a little late. The prominent citizens, most of them passionate about the rights of the underprivileged, evidently did not notice either the conditions under which the poor live or the dangers posed by Mumbai's aspiration to become a Shanghai. The Government is made by the people; so is the city. They should ask themselves whether they could have made the Government more responsible and the city more liveable.

A. Megha,
Hyderabad

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