Mumbai floods: 20 years ago, brave men saved lives with limited equipment

Business Standard

4 days ago

On that day, Mumbai came to a standstill as an unprecedented 944 mm of rainfall within 24 hours, combined with high tides, triggered flash floods and landslides that claimed 450 lives
Press Trust of India Mumbai
Rescuing a woman with a child from a pillar and some Divyang individuals from a bus amid the Mithi river surge still sends shivers down the spine of retired Mumbai Fire Brigade chief Prabhat Rahangdale, even two decades after the July 26 deluge that paralysed Mumbai.
On that day, Mumbai came to a standstill as an unprecedented 944 mm of rainfall within 24 hours, combined with high tides, triggered flash floods and landslides that claimed 450 lives.
Rahangdale vividly recalls his team rescuing 300 people from areas within a 10-km radiusKurla West, BKC, and Kalinaby deploying kayaks and jet skis, typically reserved for adventure sports.
"I've participated in thousands of rescue operations, but some incidents remain permanently etched in memory," he reminisced.
At the time, the Fire Brigade and the city civic body lacked dedicated flood rescue teams, prompting Rahangdale to enlist personnel from an agency specialising in beach adventure activities.
He and other officials travelled in a jeep to Kalanagar en route Bandra Kurla Complex via Sion circle, navigating water-logged roads and stranded vehicles.
In hindsight, Rahangdale admits the huge risk he had undertaken.
"Only three vehicles reached Kalanagar crossing that day. Looking back, I realise how dangerous it was. Fortunately, our jeep didn't break down. We witnessed other vehicles nearly submerged and waves rippling from our movement," he told PTI.
Once they reached BKC's eastern side, the team established a command and control centre at the MTNL building before launching rescue efforts.
The opposite bank of the Mithi River presented a grim scene.
"A double-decker bus was almost entirely submerged in muddy water, with only the rooftop visible," he said.
During the rescue preparations, Rahangdale heard a woman crying for help. She had managed to perch herself on a power feeder pillar, clutching a child on her shoulder.
As the water level rose to her waist, the team knew that the time was running out. They immediately deployed a kayak and a jet ski and rescued the woman and the child.
"She said she had been stranded at the LBS Road junction for 90 minutes. I still wonder how she climbed the pillar while holding a child, with water rushing from all directions, Rahangdale said.
Not far from the spot, rescuers spotted a bus with 2025 people, including Divyang individuals and young girls, trapped in swirling waters.
"We pulled them out through the rear emergency windows," he said.
A rope was tied between two buses separated by 300 metres, allowing the stranded group to be transported, first to the rooftop of the double-decker bus via kayaks, and eventually to safety at the MTNL building.
He cited the overwhelming force of upstream water as the biggest challenge during operations.
"Rescuing that woman and the physically challenged individuals gave me an immense sense of satisfaction," he said.
On July 27, rescue efforts shifted to the Air India Colony, where residents struggled for food and clean water amid the devastation.
At the time, Mumbai had no formal flood rescue structure.
"I was trained in search and rescue operations in collapsed structures, not floods. But luckily, I had completed a short course on flood rescue during a UN mission to Indonesia in 2004, and it proved invaluable, he explained.
Now retired as Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Rahangdale reflects on the lessons from the 2005 floods that fundamentally reshaped Mumbai's disaster response systems.
"After July 26, we formed flood rescue and beach safety teams, which saved several lives over the years," he added.
He also led responses to other critical emergencies, including a terrorist attack on an iconic hotel and a submarine fire at the naval dockyard.
"I was assigned the task of building a flood rescue team within six months. I trained 160 personnel in swimming, he recalled.
So, what has changed over two decades? Rahangdale said Mumbai Fire Brigade is now equipped with boats, kayaks and jet skis to tackle urban floods. Additionally, beach safety teams were created, leading to a significant reduction in fatalities.