Mumbai unprepared for rains? : The Newshour Debate
In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- Rahul Narwekar, Spokesperson & MLC, NCP; Manisha Kayande, Spokesperson, Shiv Sena; Salman Soz, Spokesperson, Congress; Shaina NC, Leader, BJP; Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment; Bittu Sahgal, Environmentalist; G R Khairnar, Former Deputy Commissioner, BMC; Ashwini Kakkar, CEO, Mercury Travels and Bejon Misra, Consumer Policy Expert & Founder Consumer Online Foundation -- discuss the issue -- CM convinced, Mumbai isn't. Was Mumbai unprepared for rains? Heavy rains pummelled Mumbai and its suburbs in which two persons died of electrocution and bringing normal life to a grinding halt on Friday (June 19) with several areas waterlogged and local train services cancelled leaving thousands of commuters stranded. As civic authorities described the rainfall in the country's financial capital as "unprecedented", they said 283 mm of rain, which is normally received in 10 days, was witnessed in just 24 hours. Mithi river is around the danger mark, according to Yuva Sena Chief Aditya Thackeray. Educational institutions were shut and government and private offices reported thin attendance. The Bombay High Court and other courts were also shut. "The city has witnessed unprecedented rainfall in the last 24 hours, more than that the city usually receives in 10 days. Mumbai witnessed 283 mm of rain in 24 hours," the city's Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta told reporters. "Of the total annual average rainfall Mumbai witnesses, 10 percent of it has been received in 24 hours, which usually takes 10 days," he added.