Rains in the city

The weekend was one that was truly washed out. The rains struck the city, washing it clean, attempting to drown most of its residents and ensuring that our reputation for having little value for life continues to be true. 16 people died across the state of which five died in Mumbai. Five lives in a city of a crore died on one day. Not a very frightening statistic given the fact that maybe almost two die persons daily due to an accident or crime daily.
What is criminal about these deaths is that they didn't have to take place. It can be argued that neither do those who die of other causes. But then the state doesn't crores of rupees to ensure that those people stay alive. Three of the five people who died were washed away in flood waters. Floods and flooding is unusual to the city. Every year the streets are flooded for at least a couple of days every monsoon, I know since I have been wading through pools of water every monsoon with frightening regularity. But people being washed away by floods to me suggests criminal negligence.
Crores have been spent in widening the Mithi and shifting residents from their homes along its banks. Houses were allegedly moved from near nullahs to prevent them from being washed away. And yet the number rises. South Mumbai is right next to the sea, received more rainfall than the north last weekend and stayed with its head well above water.
We credit the British for their excellent town planning and drainage, then we must criticise our follies in allowing the non construction for the rest of it. For every rule that is modified because money pays for it, for every palm greased and every flouted rule there awaits a death, not necessarily the deserving one.