(Bloomberg) -- Heavy rains will continue to drench India's financial hub of Mumbai and surrounding areas for the next 24 hours, flooding low-lying areas and posing risks to human life, according to the country's weather agency.
The India Meteorological Department has issued alerts for several districts in Maharashtra, including Pune, Raigad and Ratnagiri. Schools have been shut in Mumbai, the state's capital and home to the central bank, top stock exchanges and major banks. The federal disaster response force is helping rescue and relief operations in the city.
Ten people were killed due to a landslide in Raigad after the region received 499 millimeters of rainfall in three days, Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, said in a Tweet.
Torrential rain and flooding is a common occurrence during India's monsoon season that runs from June to September. Certain areas of Mumbai are regularly hit by frequent floods due to the lack of proper drainage systems. Daily commuters bear the brunt of heavy rainfall in the city, also famous for its vibrant film industry popularly known as Bollywood.
The floods in Mumbai follow the evacuation of about 20,000 people in New Delhi as the Yamuna River spilled its banks. Snakes entering homes have now become a problem in the Indian capital. Local authorities have started a helpline for residents and deployed a “rapid-response” team to remove the reptiles, Times of India reported.
After a slow start, India has now received 2% more rainfall than what's normal at this point of the monsoon season, compared with a deficit of about 60% at the start of June. “Heavy to very heavy” rainfall is forecast for Odisha, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka states through July 26, according to the weather office.
That's raising the risk of damage to crops, such as rice, cotton and soybeans. Sowing in some areas was delayed due to the monsoon's late start.
--With assistance from Sreeja Biswas, P R Sanjai, Satviki Sanjay, Pratik Parija, Jas Bardia, Saket Sundria and Eltaf Najafizada.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
