As a local of coastal Karnataka, I have mixed feeling about the Konkan railway. The Western Ghats is one of THE MOST bio-diverse regions of the world. Any infrastructure development poses a risk to a delicate ecological balance.<p>On the other hand, the railways have brought prosperity for the region. India needs better access to her ports and previously it used to be thousands of trucks hauling cargo through the narrow winding highway. Truck accidents were a weekly occurrence. With the roll-on/roll-off system, the trucks can safely ride the rails for a fraction of cost and emissions. This is just one of the examples.<p>Coming back to the flooding topic, it seems deforestation is the main culprit and the railways are hardly the major source. Just as an anecdote, the village I grew up used to be surrounded by thick, diverse forest and it is now replaced by a monoculture of cashew trees. Most of this is illegal encroaching and there was hardly any enforcement until a few years ago.
The title feels a little too specific. Mumbai also floods pretty much every year.<p><a href="https://thewire.in/urban/mumbai-heavy-rains-floods-reasons" rel="nofollow">https://thewire.in/urban/mumbai-heavy-rains-floods-reasons</a>