BOMBAY's residents are always ready for a deluge -- it is drought that they fear. And, the grim sceptre of waterless days has risen this year. Water levels in lakes Vaitarana, Tansa, Tulsi

Only 12 per cent of the 70 per cent of India's solid waste is treated, while the rest goes into landfills. Though there's a long way to go in treating the problem, people and co-operatives have started taking initiatives towards segregating and composting waste and developing a consciousness of not disposing waste indiscriminately.

Fire from a burning garbage dump, which has been on for days, is resulting in high pollution levels in Mumbai. Lakhs of people are breathing in toxic air; more than 70 government schools in affected parts of the city have been shut down. There is an acrid smell in the air, say many residents of India's commercial capital. The government appears to have gone into lockdown. Apart from a tweet from the Chief Minister, no one seems to want to say anything. There is of course the standard response, we have ordered an inquiry and will wait for the results.

In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- Rahul Narwekar, Spokesperson & MLC, NCP; Manisha Kayande, Spokesperson, Shiv Sena; Salman Soz, Spokesperson, Congress; Shaina NC, Leader, BJP; Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment; Bittu Sahgal, Environmentalist; G R Khairnar, Former Deputy Commissioner, BMC; Ashwini Kakkar, CEO, Mercury Travels and Bejon Misra, Consumer Policy Expert & Founder Consumer Online Foundation -- discuss the issue -- CM convinced, Mumbai isn't. Was Mumbai unprepared for rains?

Mon, 2015-12-21 (All day)
Mon, 2015-12-21 (All day)

Mumbai on the West coast of India is the financial capital of India. The City has grown phenomenally over the years with several suburbs and extended suburbs being added to it. The city is bustling with over 18 million people. Add to this the growing number of immigrants and the pressure on transportation systems. The city has one of the best public transport systems, with a network of suburban railways, public bus, auto rickshaws, taxis, radio cabs. But these do not meet the growing demand for travel. The city has to grapple with traffic congestion and health hazards from air pollution.

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