2.1. Water levels during the flood in 2005

But as a result what happened they can see that it makes the houses more vulnerable water can easily come to house and it is really risky for them.

The elevation of roads in the area has inadvertently made nearby houses more susceptible to flooding. This situation arises because when roads are raised, it can cause water to accumulate around homes, making it easier for floodwaters to invade living spaces. The residents highlight this risk as a concern for their safety and property.

Imagine if you built a sandcastle on the beach at high tide. If you raised the sand around it, the water might not reach the castle immediately, but eventually, the rising tide would overwhelm the castle. This is similar to how raising roads affects homes during heavy rains, making them more vulnerable to flooding.

There is also an encroachment by on Mithi river some people are encroaching, this is a Mithi river you can see that new constructions arises.

Encroachment refers to the act of building or extending properties onto land that is meant for public use or natural resources, like rivers. In this case, constructions near the Mithi River have increased, despite municipal efforts to remove illegal buildings. Such encroachments can obstruct the natural flow of water, leading to increased flooding in the surrounding areas.

Think of a river as a busy highway. If cars (representing buildings) start parking on the highway, it clogs traffic. Similarly, when buildings encroach on a river's path, it restricts water movement, leading to overflow or floods, impacting surrounding homes and lands.

What we found that in 1980 it was a mangrove area totally on Mithi river, but in the early 1990s some settlements have come especially the construction workers they started to build temporary houses.

Initially, the area around the Mithi River was a mangrove ecosystem, which plays an essential role in flood protection and shoreline stability. However, with the influx of people, particularly construction workers in the 1990s, temporary houses began to replace the natural landscape. This change is significant as it illustrates the transformation from a natural habitat that can absorb floodwaters to urbanized areas that exacerbate flooding conditions.

Imagine a sponge soaking up water—when you have a sponge, it absorbs the water well. But if you replace that sponge with a towel (representing buildings), the towel can't hold the water, leading to spills. This illustrates how changing a natural landscape can impact flood dynamics.

The flood level in 2005 and these areas, the red mark areas close to the Mithi river, these areas were around six to ten feet of water, six to ten feet that is more than a human height.

During the flooding in 2005, specific areas near the Mithi River experienced significant water accumulation, ranging from six to ten feet deep—higher than an average adult's height. This level of flooding indicates that many homes and structures were in severe danger, highlighting the critical impact of the flood on the community.

Visualize being in a swimming pool. If the pool is six feet deep, it's challenging to stand without being submerged. Just like being in that deep water, families faced similar struggles during the flood—homes were literally inundated, which caused distress and loss of property.

In waterlogging, they were facing annual waterlogging in these series, and you can see here that most of the building most of the houses they face this one to two feet waterlogging annually.

Apart from the catastrophic floods, the residents also dealt with regular waterlogging issues. Houses often faced one to two feet of standing water for hours annually. This chronic flooding can lead to long-term damage to buildings and impact daily life significantly as residents have to navigate flooded areas regularly.

Think about how difficult it is to walk through a flooded street. If you faced this every year, it would not only be inconvenient but also damaging to your home and belongings. This is the reality for these residents, who find their everyday lives disrupted and their properties at risk each time it rains heavily.

It was the damage to building and damage to household, durable asset due to 2005 flood you can see those houses which are close to the Mahim Creek or Mithi river they were the most affected households by they had total damage.

The 2005 flood resulted in extensive damage, especially for households close to the Mahim Creek and Mithi River. These homes suffered total devastation, losing essential household assets and structural integrity. The extent of this damage underlines the severity of the flooding and its long-term implications for the community.

Imagine a family losing their home in a storm; everything from furniture to cherished belongings is swept away. The trauma of that loss is profound, and it affects not just finances but emotional well-being. The 2005 flood led to similar heartbreaking scenarios for countless families.

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