Mumbai Mumbai region has been receiving continuous rain for the last five days. Even in these conditions, officers and staff of BMC’s Mumbai Fire Brigade, storm water drains, roads and traffic, gardens, public health, solid waste management, and other departments are working on the ground to ensure smooth daily life in Mumbai. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has expressed satisfaction over the tireless efforts of all these officers and staff who are making continuous efforts to maintain normalcy amidst the heavy rain. However, he has urged them to take all necessary measures while keeping their health and safety in mind. Mumbai has been receiving heavy rains for the past few days. Even in such difficult circumstances, necessary measures are being implemented immediately through constant coordination between all the concerned departments of BMC. BMC engineers, officers, staff, and workers along with Mumbai Fire Brigade, Storm Water Drainage Department, Roads and Traffic Department, Health Department, Solid Waste Management Department, and other concerned units are ready round the clock to provide immediate services to the citizens. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide praised the dedication and sense of duty shown by all the officers and staff for maintaining the smooth functioning of daily life in Mumbai, even in the face of adverse weather conditions. He has also directed the field level teams to be extra vigilant and proactive, noting that the coming days are critical in terms of rainfall. He has directed that special emphasis should be given to works like drainage of water, running dewatering pumps at waterlogging points, regular cleaning of roads, trimming of trees, immediate removal of garbage and construction/demolition, immediate cleaning of possible water bodies and waste affected areas, effective monitoring during field operations and timely provision of effective arrangements. Coordination should be maintained with the concerned departments as per the requirement. In the context of rainy season, the staff is advised to take care of their personal safety and health. Furthermore, all employees should take necessary precautions to avoid leptospirosis. They are advised to take 200 mg doxycycline tablets as a preventive measure against leptospirosis. The administration has informed that these tablets are available in municipal dispensaries.

Amidst the ongoing heavy rains in Mumbai, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) of Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Smt. Prajakta Varmalongare today (July 6, 2026) visited various parts of Mumbai City Division to take stock of the situation arising out of the rains. She also reviewed in detail the measures being implemented by the Municipal Corporation’s monsoon management machinery. During the visit, she directly interacted with the officers and staff of the concerned departments and issued necessary instructions.
On Monday morning, Lavangare personally inspected the areas including Malabar Hill, Ambivadi (Kala Chowki), Mahim, Maheshwari Adhan (King’s Circle) area, Ravindra Natya Mandir area, Hindmata and other places. He carefully reviewed the rain-related situation, waterlogging hotspots, drainage system in operation, preparedness of emergency response mechanism and civic services provided to the citizens. Furthermore, he directed the concerned authorities to immediately mobilize municipal teams to clear fallen trees or branches during the rain. He also directed all the concerned departments to work together to ensure that the rain does not cause any disruption to traffic or the daily life of the citizens. He also directed the ward-level officials and staff to remain constantly alert and ensure that all operational systems function at full capacity. He issued instructions to prioritize immediate resolution of issues like waterlogging, uprooted trees, drainage issues and other emergencies. He stressed that all departments should work together and take prompt and effective action on every complaint so that the citizens do not face any hardship or inconvenience. Furthermore, Prajakta Verma Lovengare appealed to Mumbaikars to contact the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s emergency helpline number, 1916, for immediate assistance in emergencies.

Deputy Commissioner (Zone-1) Ms. Chanda Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-2) Shri Prashant Sapkale, Assistant Commissioner Smt. Swapnaja Kshirsagar, Assistant Commissioner Shri Gajanan Belle, Assistant Commissioner Shri Arun Kshirsagar and other senior officers and staff of the concerned departments were present during the inspection.

Artificial intelligence’s biggest obstacle is no longer advanced computer chips but access to electricity, BlackRock Chairman and Chief Executive Larry Fink has said, warning that the United States must modernise its ageing power grid or risk slowing the next wave of technological innovation.

Speaking in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, Fink said the rapid expansion of AI is creating unprecedented demand for computing power, exposing weaknesses in America’s electricity infrastructure.

“We don’t have enough power in the United States,” Fink said, describing electricity as the most significant constraint on AI development.

He said the United States has adequate energy resources, particularly natural gas, but lacks the transmission infrastructure needed to distribute electricity efficiently.

“We have plenty of power through natural gas, but we can’t distribute it in a proper way,” he said, adding that the country would need to invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” in expanding and upgrading its electricity grid.

“And if we don’t do that, we are not going to succeed in A.I.,” he said. “A.I. is just a bunch of electrons. So you need the power to create the electrons.”

Fink argued that demand for AI computing capacity currently exceeds supply, driving shortages not only in advanced chips but also in electricity and other critical infrastructure.

“At this moment, there’s more demand than supply,” he said. “We have shortages of compute right now which to me is the biggest problem we have in this country today.”

He warned that unless computing costs fall significantly, smaller organisations could struggle to benefit from the AI revolution.

“I’m not worried about BlackRock or J.P. Morgan having the money to invest in these models,” Fink said. “But I am very worried about municipalities or hospitals. Are they going to invest in this?”

Calling for wider access to AI technologies, he said the United States must “democratise A.I.” so that hospitals, local governments, transport systems and small businesses can also deploy advanced AI tools.

“If we can’t do that, then we’re going to have some real structural issues,” he said.

Fink also dismissed concerns that equity markets are in a speculative bubble despite massive investment in artificial intelligence. Instead, he said unusually strong demand had created shortages that allowed some companies to command significantly higher prices for their products.

Discussing the broader economy, Fink said recent geopolitical shocks, including the conflict involving Iran, demonstrated the resilience of the global economic system.

“The global economy actually mitigated much of the stresses,” he said, pointing to increased energy production, diversification of supply and technological adaptation. “We solve problems.”

On the US fiscal outlook, Fink argued that sustained economic growth offered the best path to managing rising government debt.

“If we cannot grow the economy by three per cent a year, we’re in trouble,” he said, urging policymakers to encourage private investment and streamline infrastructure approvals rather than relying on higher taxes.