Rain puts Mumbai officials on notice
Officials on Wednesday predicted very heavy rains over the next 48 hours in Mumbai, which virtually shut down last year after a devastating deluge that killed hundreds of people in the region.
Updates at 8 pm
Central Railway services affected at Sion, following flooding.
Train services delayed on Western Railways.
MUMBAI: Officials on Wednesday predicted very heavy rains over the next 48 hours in Mumbai, which virtually shut down last year after a devastating deluge that killed hundreds of people in the region.
Civic authorities sent out mobile phone messages to warn people and said they had taken measures to deal with rains.
“Last year we had no warning. But this year, we are fully prepared for the deluge,” Johny Joseph, Mumbai's top civic official, told Reuters.
India's monsoon rains, vital for the economy, have reached Mumbai 10 days ahead of schedule, a weather official said.
In Mumbai, a narrow but arterial river, the Mithi, has been desilted and parts of its 150-year-old drainage system overhauled to deal with heavy rain, Joseph said.