A 55-year-old man died after getting swept into an open manhole in Mumbai due to heavy rains on Thursday when he fell into the open manhole during heavy rains in Mumbai, as concerns are mounting over civic negligence and monsoon preparations for monsoon preparedness in the city at large at home. Aslam Esaf Shaikh, who was in the middle of walking along the flooded Khairani Road after the city's heavy rains, died in the accident at 12:30 p.m. as a man with his mobile phone, police said after he fell into the open manhole, officials said.
The tragedy occurred on Khairani Road, a main road connecting the western suburbs of Andheri, Saki Naka and Jogeshwari to the central suburbs of Kurla and Ghatkopar. Heavy rains had submerged the road and even the street was virtually impossible for pedestrians to see the open manhole hidden under the flood waters.
Shaikh suddenly disappeared into the water, eyewitnesses said. His umbrella and slippers were found on the spot and a search effort was launched by Mumbai Fire Brigade, local police and 108 emergency ambulance service. Rescuers searched the drainage system for nearly two hours before finding his body. He was immediately taken to Rajawadi Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The manhole cover was removed due to ongoing maintenance work by a private contractor, investigators were told. The contractor had not secured the site or provided proper warning signs and barricades, officials said, even though heavy rain lashed the city throughout the day.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) would initiate criminal proceedings against the contractor. He said the civic body would lodge a case against the contractor for "homicide" and emphasize the danger of the contractor’s alleged negligence that led to the fatal collision.
The incident has increased criticism of Mumbai’s civic infrastructure, especially because it comes just two days after another rain-related tragedy in the city. In Chembur, a child was killed and four more people were injured when a tree fell on a moving school bus. A preliminary inquiry by the BMC found that the tree had not been properly maintained.
On Thursday, rains continued to disrupt daily life in Mumbai; the rain kept mounting and heavy waterlogging hit low-lying areas Dadar, Parel, Hindmata, Charkop, Worli, Goregaon and Andheri, and road and daily life was disrupted by heavy rain that is still continuing to keep the city in a state of emergency. Some parts of the city recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, the BMC said.
The eastern suburbs had the highest average rainfall at 189 mm, followed by 172 mm in the island city and 165 mm in the western suburbs. The highest rainfall recording stations were Santacruz SWM Workshop and the S Ward Office in Bhandup with 238.8 mm of rain. Powai, Vikhroli, Mulund, Andheri, Parel and Prabhadevi also recorded very heavy showers.
The heavy rains also made Mumbai's suburban railway network, the city's lifeline, suffer from a backlog of water on railway tracks. Many commuters reported delays of 10 to 15 minutes in the morning peak hours due to water accumulation on railway tracks. Railway authorities said that train services were running smoothly even though they were not in good spirits during the cold weather.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall throughout Mumbai and its suburbs, which could continue on Thursday night and early Friday morning. The weather department also predicted gusty winds that can reach speeds of 50 to 60 kmph and officials warned residents to stay on the sidelines and not go to the waterlogged areas unless necessary.
The BMC has also warned of changing tides, with a low tide forecast in Thursday evening, followed by a high tide after midnight, which could slow the drainage of rainwater from the city.
The recent death of Aslam Esaf Shaikh has stoked the concerns of public safety and accountability in Mumbai during the rainy season. Such open drains, manholes and poor safety precautions are now in doubt and it is always worrying why such tragedies occur in the city.
