MUMBAI BUZZ

Viral infections engulf Mumbai This monsoon, severe bouts of illnesses have gripped the city. While COVID cases have dropped, there is an increase in cases of swine flu. Authorities have decided to reduce the prices of swine flu tests - currently standing at Rs 2500-3500. “It costs around ₹2,500 for the swine flu throat swab. For those who are not undergoing the test, we are clinically diagnosing with upper respiratory tract infection and high fever. The fever subsides as soon as we start the anti-viral (Oseltamivir),” said Dr Shekhar Shirvaikar, a family physician from Goregaon. Source: Hindustan Times Environmentalists oppose…

Maharashtra government lifts stay on construction of Metro car shed On July 21st, the new Maharashtra government announced the lifting of the stay on the construction of the Mumbai Metro-3 car shed at the controversial site in the Aarey Colony, a day after Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, at a meeting with the Consul General of Japan in Mumbai Fukahori Yasukata, assured him that Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded projects would be fast-tracked. The Metro-3 car shed is one of them. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had ordered a stay on the car shed construction in the Aarey Colony on…

Tansa dam, which supplies water to Mumbai, is now full One of seven reservoirs in the city, the Tansa dam, has filled up thanks to steady and sometimes heavy rainfall in Maharashtra. However, the dam is now overflowing, which could be dangerous for those living close to it. With a height of 128.17 metres and an overflow level of 128.63 metres, the dam is at risk of rising water levels. Authorities in the area have begun preparations for any outcome in the next few days. Earlier in the monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had announced a 10 per cent water cut in this…

Mumbai on red alert despite rains subsiding Despite some respite from heavy rainfall on the morning of July 8th, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert in the city for the weekend, citing heavy rainfall at isolated places. There is the additional possibility of occasional strong winds reaching 40-50 kph. The city's local trains and buses - its lifelines - have remained normal, barring a few inconveniences. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in the meantime, has barred entry into beaches on days of heavy rainfall. Source: NDTV, Mint COVID cases reduce Mumbais daily COVID cases have continued on a downward trail, with only 695…

Mumbai is the most expensive city for expatriates According to Mercer’s 2022 Cost of Living survey, Mumbai has ranked 127 among the costliest cities in India in terms of living expenses and accommodation costs. The cities that followed were New Delhi (155), Chennai (177), Bengaluru (178), and Hyderabad (192).  The survey found that while the city is popular for multinational corporations to establish corporations, organisations are considering other, low-cost cities as alternatives. Mumbai, along with New Delhi, was found to have the highest cost of daily necessities such as milk, bread, vegetables, etc. Source: The Times of India As Mumbai expands, glaring…

Less rainfall in Mumbai as monsoon begins Monsoon touched Mumbai on June 11th this year, and yet, the city has reported unusually low rainfall. Otherwise typical this time of year are intense showers, followed by flooding in many parts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that as of June 23rd, the city’s rainfall deficit for the month so far stands at 47%. Experts attribute this to the absence of low-pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and a ‘weak’ offshore trough in the Arabian Sea, close to the Konkan coast. “Ideally, 12 low-pressure systems are expected to form in the…

Mahim Church in Mumbai aims to go carbon neutral within 2 years St. Michael Church in Mahim, one of Mumbai's oldest churches aims to go carbon neutral within the next two years, a decision in line with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP). A greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory analysis was conducted to accurately assess how they can cut back on emissions.  According to environmental engineer Emmanuel D’Silva, Mahim church emitted a total of 44 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq) emissions in 2021, which can be taken as its annual baseline. “Not surprisingly, electricity consumption was the…

Lakhs of litres of water in Mumbai extracted without NOC According to documents obtained by groundwater activist Sureshkumar Dhoka, through RTI, major infrastructure and redevelopment projects in the city were extracting lakhs of litres of water daily without a No Objection Certificate (NOC). The documents outline that, until now, the Central Government Authority (CGWA) has not extended powers to any state agency to issue NOCs to well and tank owners and fine them in case of breach of law. As per guidelines to obtain a NOC for extraction of water, a well or tank owner must have ownership of about 200 square…

Huge spike in COVID cases, testing to be ramped in Mumbai On June 3rd, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that the positivity rate in Mumbai for COVID cases touched six per cent. "Daily new cases have tremendously increased in Mumbai, with monsoon around the corner, we will now see a rapid rise in symptomatic cases," the civic body said. Vaccination for ages 12-18 and administration of the booster dose has been pushed aggressively, as the BMC predicts a rise in symptomatic cases with the monsoons just around the corner. On June 2nd, the city recorded 506 COVID cases, the…

COVID cases rise in Mumbai Concerns over rising COVID cases in the state were raised at the cabinet meeting on May 26th. On May 25th, the number of positive cases in the state was at 2,175, from 618 cases on April 15th. A large portion of the rise is due to Mumbai, exactly 67.27%. Despite lower numbers than last year, and the city removing the mask mandate in April, the government is now urging citizens to maintain masking.  "We removed the restriction of wearing masks on April 2 and within a span of 15 days the cases have gone up. If cases continue…