Warning after a flood

With reference to the report, “India’s Houston: Heavy rain paralyses Mumbai; flights, trains hit” (August 30), the city is virtually an island. When heavy rains coincide with high tides, it leads to disaster. No power on earth can control tides. The city’s geography is intertwined with its structural history — reclamation. 
 

The city, a group of seven islands, was made one landmass through reclamation through the 18th and 20th centuries. But only the minimum height required then was adhered to. Now, these reclaimed areas have become low-lying spots that turn into water bodies when there is rain. 
 

Till the 1970s,