Mumbai, June 24: The season’s first monsoon showers over the weekend left the Shanghai-dreaming Mumbai struggling to stay afloat.

Five persons were killed — two in a Saturday night building collapse in South Mumbai, two in a landslide in Chembur and a six-month-old girl, Anwari, due to a wall collapse in Govandi’s Rafiq Nagar on Sunday. This apart, chronic spots like Milan subway got flooded, trains ran late, trees were uprooted and at least 6 flights could not land due to poor visibility.

During 24 hours — from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon—the city received 10 per cent of its annual average rainfall of 2,300 to 2,800 mm. Colaba Ward recorded 237.1 mm, Dadar (East) 239.2 mm, Kurla Kamani 262.2 mm, Vikroli 233.2 mm, Tulsi Talav 291.3 mm, Vile Parle 215.2 mm.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation described the rainfall as “reasonably high”. This meant, officials explained, that storm water drains, with a capacity of 40 mm per hour, could not cope. That’s why on Saturday evening when it rained almost 52mm in Colaba for an hour, the local market area saw water logging up to 6 inches.

“We have had 25 mm water discharge per hour earlier. This has been increased to 40 mm now in most areas. However, since rainfall was more than the capacity of the storm water drainage system, it could not discharge water immediately,” said commissioner Jairaj Phatak.

But the commissioner admitted he was not “fully satisfied” with the way the BMC handled the first spell. “I wish we managed water recession much faster. If there is abnormal rainfall tomorrow, water will not get discharged in an hour…it may take as long as five hours.”

At the city’s well-known trouble spot of Milan subway, there was five-feet water after Sunday morning’s downpour. Though the BMC installed four pumps at the spot, it did not help as sewage lines and the Sadanand Subway at the airport were flooded. This led to the storm water drains, commissioned only on June 8, taking time to let out water.

On the Chembur landslide, Phatak said the BMC had identified 117 landslide-prone areas in the city. “Landslide areas have been identified between Ghatkopar to Mulund, making up Zone VI. But this occurred in Zone V. General instructions have been issued,” he added.