Heavy Rain brings damaging floods to India by Steph Ball
Monsoon rains have drenched many parts of India throughout the past three days, causing flooding, mudslides and damage to crops and property.
The state of Gujarat in north-west India has been particularly badly hit, with as much as 478mm (19 inches) of rain falling during Thursday. This was the third day of consecutive heavy rainfall, and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is forecasting further heavy rain and thunderstorms for north-west India over the weekend. This is all down to a low pressure system that formed over the Bay of Bengal, and which is moving north-westwards across the country.
The flood situation in Gujarat is looking bleak, with around 10 to 20 small villages marooned as virtual islands in the floodwaters. Thousands of people have been evacuated to safer areas, and the rescue effort continues.
India receives around 80 percent of it’s annual rainfall during the monsoonal months, which last from June to October. In July 2005, a similar period of very heavy monsoon rainfall caused severe flooding in the state of Maharashtra, with around 1000 people killed in Mumbai alone.
Some respite may be on its way for India - the IMD is forecasting a decrease in rainfall from early next week.
