Heavy rains played havoc with the transport system in India's commercial hub Mumbai Saturday throwing the rail and road network out of gear, news reports said. Flights to the city were also temporarily suspended as the local weather office predicted more showers over the next 24 hours, NDTV television network and PTI news agency reported. The Meterological Department said the city recorded over 140 mm of rainfall since Friday noon. It warned fishermen not to venture into the seas till further notice. Trains on the city's central and suburban rail network that is used by thousands of commuters daily were stopped early Saturday due to flooding at many points along the tracks, a railway spokesman was quoted as saying. Several long-distance trains to and from Mumbai had been delayed, chief public relations officer for Central Railways Sriniwas Mudgerikar said. Flooding was reported from many low-lying areas of the city, especially the western suburbs. The latest bout of monsoon rains have also led to outbreaks of waterborne diseases like gastroenteritis and mosquito-bourne diseases like malaria. Heavy rains and floods in India's southern and western regions have claimed at least 160 lives this year. Meanwhile, in India's eastern Orissa state thousands were evacuated from coastal areas after a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal started moving towards the mainland, DPA news agency reported. The monsoon season in India usually lasts from June until September and exacts a heavy toll, both in terms of human lives and destruction of agricultural crops and property.
