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Mumbai Commuters Wade Knee-Deep As Monsoon Rains Lash City
Mumbai (AFP) Jul 04, 2006 Commuters in India's financial hub Mumbai waded knee-deep through water to reach their offices on Tuesday as torrential monsoon rains disrupted rail and air links and forced schools to close. Municipal workers used shovels to clear clogged drains in the western city of 18 million people which has been pounded by heavy wind and rain since late Saturday. "More than 40 domestic flights were cancelled and another 10 had to be diverted to other destinations," a government official said in New Delhi. Mumbai airport director R. J. Treasurywala said the facility had not suffered damage despite the bad weather and was still usable. "Due to rains there are delays, but there is no water-logging on the runway. Flights can land and take off from this airport," he said. Mumbai was swamped by 35.9 centimeters (14 inches) of rain on Tuesday alone, the weather bureau said, forecasting more heavy rainfall until at least the following day. "The rains have showed no signs of stopping, but our staff are working round-the-clock to lessen water-logging along the main water drains," city official Johny Joseph said. The finance industry was also hit by low attendance in banks, clearing institutions and stock exchanges in Mumbai, India's economic hub. The BSE, or Bombay Stock Exchange, clocked its lowest trading volumes this year of 20.56 billion rupees (446 million dollars). "It's tough going. I saw knee-deep waters at my home in south-central Mumbai," said architect Neha Sharma, 27. "This is the highest (water level) I've seen for years." Marginal power disruption was reported in some suburbs after India's main energy company, Reliance Energy, shut down three power stations as a precautionary measure. "High tide and constant rains were concerns. But now we've deployed 85 large pumps across low-lying areas to help reduce waterlogging," said chief state secretary D.K. Shankaran. "We will take the help of NGOs, other emergency services and locals for round-the-clock relief operations," he said. The government said schools and colleges would remain closed Wednesday. Despite the downpours, police have only reported four deaths from weather-related accidents in Mumbai so far. Two people died from short-circuits on Tuesday while two homeless people died late Monday in a Mumbai suburb after being crushed by a tree knocked down by gusting winds. The deaths brought to at least 229 the number of people to have died across the country as a result of the rains and high winds since the start of the monsoon last month. The rains, which advance across the country from the southern tip, have stirred memories in Mumbai of last July when more than 400 people were killed by flash floods in the city.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links - Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
Mount Merapi Besieged By Monkeys
Jakarta (AFP) Jul 03, 2006Hundreds of famished monkeys are adding to the woes of residents on the slopes of Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi, a report said Monday. The volcano, straddling Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces on Java island, has been spewing smoke, lava and clouds of gas since May, leaving two people dead, burning forests and forcing thousands to flee to safe shelters. |
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