Rains Bring Mumbai Long-awaited Reprieve from Drought

Mumbai’s weather goes from one extreme to another, as heavy monsoon rains follow a prolonged dry spell in western India. Downpours since Monday night improved the Indian city’s stressed water supplies, but also caused flooding and travel chaos in many parts of the megalopolis, AFP reported Wednesday.

The civic authorities said that the heavy rains will supply the city for at least 10 more days. Prior to Monday, the levels at some of Mumbai’s reservoirs were dangerously low and the delayed monsoon season has forced the city to cut supplies by about 30 percent.

“If it continues to rain in this manner steadily, the current water crisis will recede,” said Anil Diggikar, a senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official, according to the Times of India newspaper.

While it brought relief to Mumbai’s water shortages, the rainfall also caused damage in many low-lying areas. The floods closed roads, shut down schools and villages, disrupted train services and caused flight delays at Mumbai’s international and domestic airports.

In July 2005 devastating floods in the region killed nearly 450 in the city alone and caused the deaths of about 1,100 others elsewhere in Maharashtra state.

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Source: Yahoo News