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Mumbai: Heavy rains continued to lash Maharashtra's coastal Konkan region comprising Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg for the fifth straight day on Tuesday.
Barring stray rain-related incidents, life in the country's commercial capital remained near normal.
In the past 10 days, Colaba in south Mumbai recorded 364.80 mm rainfall, while suburban Santa Cruz notched 421.80 mm of rainfall till yesterday morning.
According to Mumbai Weather Bureau chief Sathidevi, the forecast till tomorrow is a heavy spell of rains or thundershowers.
Though caught unaware by the early onset of the wet season, the Maharashtra government's preparations to ensure disaster management had started way back in January.
A senior state government official said the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) started meetings six months ago to tackle the pre-monsoon preparedness in Mumbai and the rest of the state.
The DMA ensured that each government agency prepared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to tackle any major disaster, without wasting time in co-ordinating with other agencies.
Apart from big cities such as Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune, the government has activated disaster management teams at the village level all over the state, the official said.
The authorities have now come up with friendly advice including tips to motorists to carry a small hammer, a mini-fire extinguisher, drinking water and even light dry snacks or biscuits.
During the 2005 flood, many motorists had kept the doors and windows closed to prevent the floodwaters from seeping inside the vehicles.
Dangerous practice
Instead of saving their lives, it actually claimed several victims. The doors and windows got jammed and many motorists drowned while in their vehicles.
Investigations later revealed that the victims had nothing to break open the tough shatterproof windowpanes that could have saved them.
Despite all individual and collective precautions, Mumbaikars still have to contend with bad roads, water-logging in at least 42 flood-prone areas, and 58 areas prone to landslides.
According to police sources, there have been over 25 rain-related deaths across the state in the past five days.
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