Mumbai: Mumbai has been on tenterhooks with a high tide alert this week. Civic officials have warned of high tides up to 5 metres and above. This, if accompanied by heavy rains, could throw the city out of gear.
But with intermittent showers and strong winds on Wednesday and Thursday, the city seems to have braved the high tides for now.
Areas such Worli, Koliwada, Versova and Geeta Nagar and Cuffe parade near the coast were inundated during high tide as sea water entered many homes.
A wall collapse at the Mayor's bungalow sent authorities into a tizzy and over 50 pumping machines were on standby to tackle flooding in low-lying areas.
BMC officials however insist there's no reason to panic and that they were all geared up for any emergency arising out of the situation.
BMC Commissioner, Jairaj Phatak said, “We will evacuate people living in low-lying areas if high tide indeed sets in.”
Mumbaikars are not taking any chances though and those who have seen the July 2005 deluge are opting to stay indoors.
With July 24 expected to see high tide of 5.05 meters, the highest for this monsoon, authorities have advised citizens to take necessary precautions.
HIGHEST TIDE OR NOT?
A debate on whether the maximum city will witness the highest tide in 100 years has been going on for some time. The Survey of India (SOI) says no and has come down heavily on the BMC for creating panic by declaring the 5.05 meter tide as the "highest of the century".
The survey's research cell shot off a letter to the civic agency, calling the information 'factually incorrect'.
SOI figures show that Mumbai witnessed its highest tide in January this year, when water levels touched the 5.13 metre mark, that's .8 metres higher than what's been predicted for Friday.
The SOI is a research body under the central department of science and technology, and boasts of a flawless record of accurate tidal predictions for the past 120 years.
(With inputs from Kajal Iyer and Sholeen Damarwala in Mumbai)
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