More rains soak India
2005-08-01 13:28
Mumbai - Monsoon rains lashed Mumbai again on Monday, pushing the death toll closer to 1 000, as India's financial hub battled to recover from its worst-ever recorded deluge.
The city's police chief appealed to residents to stay indoors as the Mumbai meteorological department said "heavy to very rainfall accompanied by strong gusty winds" over the next 24 hours in Maharashtra state, home to Mumbai.
Police said rescue workers found the bodies of 24 more victims of floods and landslides, bringing the state death toll to 993 since the rains began on July 25.
Some 409 of them had died in Mumbai.
But, Mumbai officials said the city of 15 million people was limping back to normal even though some low-lying areas remained knee-deep in water.
Visitors to avoid the city
Airline officials said that the flights out of Mumbai airport, India's busiest were delayed, but returning to normal.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel urged visitors to avoid the city "unless absolutely necessary".
A ministry spokesperson said: "There are gusty winds making landings and take-offs difficult."
On Saturday, an Air India plane carrying more than 300 passengers skidded off the runway, but no one was hurt. The airport was shut for two days last week.
Schools and colleges remained shut, but India's leading stock market, the Mumbai stock exchange, banks and offices were open.
However, attendance was spotty as employees struggled into work, sloshing through puddles and facing delays in commuter train services.
Traditional low-lying areas
Police chief AN Roy said: "There's some water logging in the traditional low-lying areas of the city. There's no reason to panic, but I advise people to remain indoors."
He said rescue teams were battling rough weather to reach victims of landslides and flooding, adding "in some parts, it's proving very tough".
Rescue workers were pressing on with "Operation Recovery", using bulldozers, cranes and bare hands to remove rubble from areas hit by landslides and clear mounds of garbage and bloated animal carcasses left by the receding waters.
Weather officials said the rains should ease on Tuesday.
Strong gusty winds
Spokesperson Thakur Prasad said: "There will be heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours accompanied by strong gusty winds.
"However, after the adverse weather conditions till 08:00 on Tuesday, the rainfall was likely to reduce."
An army of about 130 000 municipal workers was repairing potholed roads, unclogging drains and restoring electricity and drinking water.
Authorities said power had been restored to 80% of areas hit by blackouts.
Mumbai's vast shanty-dwelling slum population was among the hardest hit. Some had huts swept away, while others battled to keep meagre possessions dry.
Yogendra Kumar: "My tin roof isn't made for heavy rains. I can't get any sleep because I have to keep moving the bucket to stop the rain coming in."
- AFP