By the time you read this, the first showers of monsoon rains would have hit Mumbai. The season missed its regular date of arrival in Mumbai by June 10, thanks to the cyclone Biparjoy. The cyclone robbed the city of its first lot of the rainy clouds and sent them to Gujarat and Rajasthan. Hence, the raingod is around three weeks late to bless Mumbai this time.
I remember that during my school days whenever the monsoon was delayed, even by two weeks, a discussion used to start — "Kya Mumbai khaali karni padegi? (Will everybody have to leave Mumbai)." Yes, the monsoon is the basis of Mumbai's existence and its evolution as India's Urbs Prima. Interestingly, Mumbai has a paradoxical relationship with monsoon. On one hand, Mumbaikars battered by a hot and humid climate yearn for its arrival, and on the other hand, when it arrives, it brings loads of woes for them. With the onset of monsoon, arterial roads of the city get flooded, train services are disrupted, and many homes in low-lying areas are affected. Many potholes mushroom on roads that offer a camel ride-type experience to the road users. The media and the opposition parties bash the BMC for its lack of preparedness, as an annual ritual.
Despite all such woes, Mumbai can't exist without rains. The city is not situated on the banks of any major river but on the coast of saline Arabian Sea. So, the dwellers source their potable water from the seven lakes that are located in and around the city, which are replenished every monsoon. The four months of rain offer sufficient water to last a year.
However, there are years when the monsoon gets delayed and the people of Mumbai start feeling uneasy. A delayed monsoon pinches Mumbaikars in multiple ways. Apart from enduring some more hot days, they have to live with watercuts announced by the BMC. Many housing societies order tankers, who hike water price considering high demand, and the residents have to cough up extra in their monthly maintenance bills. The water supplied by tankers is often of poor quality and is detrimental to the health. The daily cleaning of cars and mopping of common areas in the residential buildings are discontinued.
Whenever, the monsoon in Mumbai gets delayed by over 3-4 weeks, the faithful of the city do 'jalabhishek' at the ancient Babulnath temple of Lord Shiva, situated on the Malabar Hill. Special prayers are organised before Mumbadevi, the presiding deity of Mumbai. Apart from pleading to gods, scientific methods are also applied. In the past, attempts were made for cloud-seeding to generate artificial rains, but in vain. The mini aircraft would spread chemicals in the air but failed to attract the clouds.
Mumbai’s dependence on monsoon is going to remain for many years to come, till the time, the city adopts desalination of the sea water as the way to cater to its water needs. One such plant is proposed at the Manori creek.
(This is the last edition of Jitendra Dixit’s Bombayphile where he had been writing about the past and the present of Mumbai.)
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