MUMBAI, 2 July 2007 — Mumbai limped back to normal yesterday after heavy rains lashed the city on Saturday disrupting rail, air and road services. Light rains continued yesterday, but there were no reports of disruption. Rail traffic was normal on the suburban section and also on the long distance Central and Western Railway networks. Flights were operating normally at the international Sahar and domestic Santa Cruz airports, although some flights were delayed.
However, heavy rains continued to batter the rest of Maharashtra. A state government official told “Arab News” that more than sixty people are reported to have been killed in the last two days in rain-related accidents. Floodwaters continued to play havoc in Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli, Amravati, Nashik, Kolhapur, Raigad, Nandurbar, Dhule and Akola. The Bombay-Goa highway remained closed for the second day too.
Six people were drowned in floodwaters in Kolhapur when a bullock cart in which they were traveling was swept away by strong currents. Forty-five villages were completely cut off and more than 150,000 houses reported to have suffered losses due to rains and floodwaters. Eight state highways were closed including the Bombay-Agra and Bombay-Nashik highways as water was overflowing the roads at several places.
State Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh came under attack from all sections of society for going on a trip to the United States at this crucial time.
However, the meteorological department has predicted more rains in the next 24 hours. “Like Saturday, today (Sunday) we have advised people not to venture out unless they really have to. A high tide is expected in the evening and there’s a possibility of sea water surging into the city,” said an official. Saturday’s downpour inundated several areas particularly the low-lying ones in central Mumbai as well as the western and eastern suburbs.
The torrential rains rekindled the ghosts of July 26, 2005 when the deluge claimed 400 lives. “Saturday’s torrent was an alarming echo of that terrible day. We kept our fingers crossed, praying the city should not go under water as it did that day,” said Joel Fernandez, a resident of Chembur, which did go under knee-deep water on Saturday. “Thank god it was a Saturday. With schools, colleges and many offices closed for the weekend, the impact was minimal.”
The southwest monsoon created havoc elsewhere in India. Heavy rains lashing the central state of Chhattisgarh claimed eight lives and left around 50,000 people marooned, officials said yesterday. The downpour has also disrupted air and rail services.
Though the weather improved yesterday, the torrential rains since Friday night have killed four people in Raipur district, three in Durg and one in Mahasamund district.
The basements and parking areas of many residential and commercial buildings in Raipur were submerged and people took refuge on rooftops in low-lying areas. Vehicles remained off the roads as most roads were under five to six feet of water.
According to officials, at least 50,000 people have been marooned in Chhattisgarh — 20,000 in Raipur district alone. Around 20,000 people have been evacuated to safer areas in Raipur, Durg, Mahasamund and Bastar districts.
The weather office said the state received a record rainfall of over 440mm in just 12 hours on Friday night. The downpour continued in many parts on Saturday.
Air and rail services were badly hit as the runway at the airport in the state capital Raipur was waterlogged and the traffic signal system nonfunctional.
Kingfisher Airlines canceled flights from Raipur to Indore and Kolkata while Jet Airways and Air Deccan suspended their Raipur-Delhi operations. Flights from Raipur to Mumbai and Ahmedabad were also canceled.
Several trains connecting Raipur with cities to Orissa were delayed by over 10 hours because railway tracks were submerged in Mahasamund district.
— Additional input from agencies
