COVID hospitalisations at an all-time low
For the first time since the first wave of COVID hit the country in April 2020, hospitalisations due to the virus dropped to below 100 in Mumbai between March 14th and 19th. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), only one person was hospitalised on March 18th, taking the total count to just 74, of which seven were critical. “Even when the first and second waves were waning, the city’s daily caseload did not drop to what we are seeing now. Hospitalisations, therefore, were also on the higher side,” said additional commissioner Suresh Kakani.
During the first two waves of the pandemic, Mumbai was at the centre of the caseload. The third wave peaked in the city on January 7th 2022 when the city logged 1,395 cases in a single day, taking the total number of hospitalisations to 6,531. The first case of COVID was reported in Mumbai on March 11th, 2020, and about a month later on April 5th, the city had admitted 2,595 patients.
Source: Hindustan Times
Read more: Were there more COVID-19 deaths in Mumbai than we know?
Mumbaikars battle a near 40 degrees weather
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert on March 15th and a ‘yellow’ alert on March 16th as Mumbai battled a heatwave with maximum temperatures touching 39.4 degrees, eight degrees above normal temperatures. This wave is expected to linger over the next couple of days, affecting nights as well, which will touch 24 degrees.
For an area to be considered going through a heatwave, maximum temperatures should touch 40 degrees in plains, 30 degrees in hilly areas and 37 degrees in coastal regions. Advection of warm and dry winds from northwestern India, prevailing clear skies and low humidity values influence heatwaves, according to IMD. Additionally, rising mercury is also due to radiation and the formation of a high-pressure zone over parts of central and western India.
“The hot and dry winds from northwest India are reaching parts of Konkan. In addition, the slow movement of sea breeze along the Maharashtra coast and the overall clear sky conditions have together resulted in such hot conditions,” said an official from Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai.
Source: News18
Mumbai celebrates Holi grandly for the first time in two years
Celebrating the dip in COVID cases, Mumbai revelled in the spirit of Holi for the first time since the outbreak of the virus in 2020. Coming out of the fears that cast a long shadow throughout the pandemic, restrictions imposed as a result were not in the way this time.
From former mayor Kishori Pednekar to Shiv Sena MLA Bhaskar Jadhav, politicians too took part greatly. However, the state government asserted its responsibility in curbing the spread of the virus, especially in light of an impending fourth wave of the pandemic that has incited alertness in the country, after the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning to countries on March 15th.
In 2021, Mumbai had recorded over 3,000 cases and 8 deaths before Holi, and the government had imposed a total ban on gatherings both public and private.
Source: The Times of India, Zee News
Flyover at Chheda Nagar junction opens
A 630-metre flyover was opened at Chheda Nagar junction by Mumbai The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on March 14th. The flyover will connect Chheda Nagar Junction in Ghatkopar to Santacruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR) flyover.
The area will receive a total of three flyovers as part of a larger decongestion plan since Chheda Nagar is a key junction on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) at Ghatkopar where the Mankhurd-Ghatkopar link road meets EEH. The MMRDA stated that traffic from different areas integrates at the junction and causes heavy congestion in the area, and so Rs 249 crores were invested to build the flyovers and one vehicular subway. The flyovers include one of 680 metres between Mumbai and Thane, one of 1.2 km between Mankhurd to Thane and one of 630 metres between Chhedda Nagar flyover to SCLR.
Source: Hindustan Times
MU exams department told to address student grievances
“It’s nothing new. You will get to see thousands of students waiting in hour-long queues with basic queries regarding their exam papers or results. To make students wait for weeks and months for basic changes in their exam papers or marksheets is unfair,” said a senate member at the annual senate meet held once a year in Mumbai. On March 15th, the senate meet discussed issues raised by students at Mumbai University, Kalina campus, and it was found that students find it difficult to approach the examination department of the University’s campus.
Members of the senate highlighted how issues as simple as signatures or missing stamps leave students hanging for months. Additionally, nearly 100 final year BMS students of Siddharth College, Churchgate haven’t received their results in months. In response to the discussion, the examination department has been directed by Vice-Chancellor Suhas Pednekar to address student grievances online from now on.
Source: Hindustan Times
(Compiled by Saachi D’Souza)