How to explain frequent waterlogging issues plaguing Mumbai: BMC data points to spike in daily average rainfall over last 6 years

An internal analysis conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has revealed that Mumbai has experienced a significant increase in the overall amount of high-intensity rainfall over the past six years. This data was compiled by analyzing rainfall recorded by the civic body's own Automatic Weather Systems (AWS). The BMC conducted this study following the heavy rains on May 26, which were caused by an early onset of the monsoon.

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According to the BMC's findings, between 2014 and 2018, on days when the city recorded heavy to very heavy rainfall, the average rainfall recorded in a single day stood at 131 mm. The study indicates that between 2019 and 2024, the daily average rainfall spiked to 182 mm, with Mumbai experiencing its highest single-day average of 267 mm on July 25, 2024. This is the most significant rainfall recorded in the last ten years. Other notable rainfall amounts include 226 mm on July 2, 2019; 191 mm on August 5, 2020; 162 mm on July 17, 2021; and 132 mm recorded on both June 30, 2022, and July 27, 2023. Meanwhile, during the 2014-2018 cycle, Mumbai recorded 148 mm of rainfall on September 19, 2017, making it the highest single-day average of the cycle, followed by 147 mm on July 2, 2014. "The assessment of the internal