The heavy downpour in Mumbai's central areas as well as cities like Pune, which disrupted public services, especially modern transport systems like Mumbai's new underground metro, has now become the centre point of politics and heated debates between two sides of the political divide in Maharashtra, especially because just after the monsoon is over, about a dozen large cities in the state, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur and others, will be holding civic polls in which civic amenities may become the main issue.

The opposition Shiv Sena UBT (Uddhav Thackeray group) has charged the ruling BJP with “apathy towards the Mumbai city” and alleged corruption in building the civic infrastructure, which, in Shiv Sena UBT's words, “has led to this terrible situation in Mumbai”.

Will this really impact the civic polls in the coming months, and will the public of Mumbai, Pune and other cities be affected by the campaign run by the opposition on this issue? It needs to be seen.

Mumbai has, historically, faced rain fury about twice every year for decades, when heavy rains coincide with high tide at sea and rainwater drainage systems fail to drain excess water in the Arabian Sea. Traditionally, between June and August, two incidents of flooding in Mumbai have been witnessed every year.

However, the frequency of this has increased in the past few years, causing flooding of the low-lying areas three to........

© Free Press Journal