UDRI Short Films #4: Flooding Issues in Mumbai

Each year, Mumbai, the ‘unstoppable’ city, is brought to a grinding halt by the monsoons. Originally seven islands, Greater Mumbai today, largely sits on reclaimed land, and the city is riddled with low-lying areas, susceptible to water-logging. Our storm water drainage system is over a hundred years old, not designed to deal with the large amounts of rainfall and surface run-offs that we have witnessed over the past two decades. Each year, the flooding greatly impacts Greater Mumbai’s suburban railway network, the city’s main lifeline, the working of the financial capital is disrupted and it witnesses enormous economic losses with stories of people stranded in trains, wading through waist-deep waters amidst floating cars or staying back in their offices. This year on year flooding has not receded, in fact, it encompasses a larger area each year with several parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region also facing severe flooding for the past decade. However, there are hardly any planning initiatives taken to mitigate the impact or to start building resilience. This short film delves into the recurring flooding issues in Mumbai and the MMR, and the lack of the city's response i.e. flood mitigation measures/ provisions, to address the same, especially in low-lying areas. Supported by A.T.E. Chandra Foundation Credits Video by: Anand Holla and Kunal Purohit Stock Footage: Videvo Drone Footage: Parth Bonde Music: Countdown by L’Incal Noir Ambient Jams II - Part 2 by Rheyne Oasis by MOZ Dream by Never All music licensed under CCL. UDRI would like to thank all its donors, supporters and advisors for their support in this endeavour.