NationStates Jolt Archive


India's heaviest rainfall ever in Mumbai, death toll 750 and rising

Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 07:52
Mumbai is submerged in the heaviest rainfall ever in India. 37 inches of rain in one day ! :(

Initially I thought the death toll would be a dozen or so, but to my shock the death toll has steeply risen to 750 and it looks like it will rise more. There are still many missing.

Cherrapunji in Assam, India has the record of the heaviest rainfall area in the world. This rainfall in Mumbai has broken that record.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8721885/
India monsoon death toll nears 750 :(

Half killed in Bombay alone; rescuers scour flooded areas for survivors

BOMBAY, India - Their faces covered with masks against the stench, rescuers found dozens more bodies in flood-ravaged Bombay neighborhoods and outlying villages Friday, pushing the death toll to 749 from record monsoon rains in India.

Relief workers used spades to search for survivors as cranes lifted twisted wooden and tin debris. Navy divers used inflatable rafts to reach areas cut off by water, while soldiers and civil defense workers trudged to outlying villages, digging in search of the living and the dead.

Three days after the deluge, the Bombay Stock Exchange reopened and mobile phone services were restored, but some neighborhoods remained without electricity.

The rescuers searched vast areas of Maharashtra state, battered by the deadly rains, said N. Nayar, an official at the government’s emergency control room in Bombay, India’s financial hub and the worst-hit area.

“The death toll is 749 now, including 376 in Bombay alone,” said M. Deshpande, assistant director at the control room.

Most deaths were caused by collapsing walls, drownings and electrocutions, he said.

Hopes of finding survivors dimmed.

In the northern Bombay suburb of Saki Naka, relief workers and survivors searched the ruins of a shantytown crushed when a water-soaked hill collapsed on top of it. At least 110 people were killed and more than 45 others were missing and presumed dead.

“There is so much debris around. I don’t think anyone can still be alive under all this,” said aid worker Antar Gulab standing in front of mounds of mud and boulders.

The landslides wiped out entire families in the shantytown. “My neighbors — all eight of them are dead,” said Shakeel Nabi.

Every monsoon, police and civic workers caution shanty dwellers to move out, but warning are not heeded. “Where do we go? What other place do we have?” asked Nabi, who was living with his wife and two children in the street after their shanty was destroyed.

Half of Bombay’s 16 million population lives in shanties that often share boundary walls with swanky, residential apartment blocks.

An unprecedented deluge of 37 inches of rain on Tuesday paralyzed Maharashtra state’s communication and transport network. On Friday,trains and buses ran again in the country’s financial capital, and cars filled roads as the stock market reopened. Mobile phone networks buzzed with traffic, although land phone lines in some areas remained out of order.

At least 18 people, including seven children, died in a stampede in a Bombay shantytown on Thursday night after rumors of a burst dam and a tsunami.

Another rumor Friday of an approaching cyclone jolted employers in Nariman Point, where most companies have their headquarters. They sent workers home early.

Police arrested 10 men for spreading rumors, said A.N. Roy, the city’s police chief.

“Mischief mongers will be dealt with strictly. Stay calm. Don’t listen to rumors,” Roy said in messages on television and radio.

a photo collection here
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=51537#

a blogspot for donations and help
http://mumbaihelp.blogspot.com/

a collection of voices of the people affected
http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/jul/27rain10.htm
Leonstein
30-07-2005, 08:04
I heard on TV yesterday that people are blaming it on Global Warming.
What do you reckon? There never were rains that heavy before, were there?
Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 08:12
I heard on TV yesterday that people are blaming it on Global Warming.
What do you reckon? There never were rains that heavy before, were there?

I dunno if this has anything to do with Global warming.

Well, there is the Cherrapunji, which is in Assam- a North-Eastern state in the foothills of the Himalayas, which holds the record for the rainiest place in the world.

But Mumbai? No! It gets some rain during the monsoon season and that's about it. It does not even get any cyclones that the eastern coast gets annually.

This is really freaky and I hope it is a one-time thing.
Dragons Bay
30-07-2005, 08:14
Mumbai is still too far away from being anywhere near a major cosmopolitan... I hope after this disaster they start replanning this city's pipes. Without proper sewage it's hardly going to go anywhere further in development.
Leonstein
30-07-2005, 08:19
By the way, did you hear that in something like 20 years the main spring of the great Ganghes is going to dry up, because that Glacier is melting away?

And why don't we hear much about this in the news here, but London was plastered all over our screens. And Bec Cartwright's wedding... :rolleyes:
Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 08:26
Didn't you know that 1 American life = 10 British life = 100 third worlder's life.

That's how the media works. 1 Natalee something > 50 odd Britishers > 800 odd Indians.

I don't blame them.

Life is cheap in the subcontinent. When the Indian public and their elected representatives themselves are callous and apathetic to Indian lives, what to speak of others.

No, the Gangotri, the head glacier of Ganges is not about to dry.
Leonstein
30-07-2005, 08:32
I don't blame them.
I do. And I think no better of politicians who so openly distance themselves from average people, as they do in India.

No, the Gangotri, the head glacier of Ganges is not about to dry.
http://www.the-south-asian.com/Aug2004/Gangotri_glacier.htm
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1807/18070690.htm
http://users.aber.ac.uk/daa04/response_of_glaciers.htm
What do you think? Rubbish?
Dragons Bay
30-07-2005, 08:34
Didn't you know that 1 American life = 10 British life = 100 third worlder's life.

That's how the media works. 1 Natalee something > 50 odd Britishers > 800 odd Indians.

I don't blame them.

Life is cheap in the subcontinent. When the Indian public and their elected representatives themselves are callous and apathetic to Indian lives, what to speak of others.

No, the Gangotri, the head glacier of Ganges is not about to dry.

"One death is a tragedy. One thousand deaths is a statistic."
Sumamba Buwhan
30-07-2005, 08:35
How aweful! I hope that most make it thru this okay and find hope in teh future.

This reminds me: Did anyone hear how, a long time ago, they were planning to or did make a law somewhere in India where it was illegal to catch rainfall in buckets and whatnot, because they needed it all so they could sell it? I though tthat was wierd shit.


Anyway I'm praying for ya India!
Leonstein
30-07-2005, 08:40
"One death is a tragedy. One thousand deaths is a statistic."
Not exactly the person you want to quote, is it?
And it is a Million deaths, not a thousand.
Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 08:42
This is what the Metereology department had said the day before.

2. Rainfall activity along the west coast is likely to enhance.

This is after the tsunami and all. Some things never change in India. Apathy towards lives is one such thing.

the livestock toll is also huge
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/jul/29jcm.htm
Black rain claims 2,500 buffaloes


Both the army and navy has been deployed.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=51572
Forces deployed in Mumbai for rescue work

Press Trust of India
Posted online: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 at 1449 hours IST

Mumbai, July 27: Five thousand jawans of the armed forces have been deployed on Wednesday for the rescue and relief work in the metropolis battered by incessant rains since Tuesday.

“Apart from the Army, Air Force and Navy jawans deployed, two companies of the CRPF have been called from Pune to help in the relief work in Mumbai suburbs,” state government sources said.

And there was this fire accident at an oil rig. The rig has sustained heavy damage resulting in dozen deaths and a loss of around 1/10 of Indian oil imports and some reports say the loss in dollar terms will be in billions.

news
http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/jul/28bspec.htm

pics here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4725611.stm

But one saving grace is that the stock market in Mumbai did not panic even after these blows.
Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 08:44
What do you think? Rubbish?

Why do you have to make my day even worse :(
Spurland
30-07-2005, 08:45
Over in Bangalore at the moment, not too heavy rain here.

Got a couple friends in Bombay, they say there is some crazy shit going on there. Got stuck in a hotel for 2 days.
Leonstein
30-07-2005, 08:48
Why do you have to make my day even worse :(
Sorry mate.
I just hope they can save as many people as possible and then, although cynical, our Chinese friend is right when he says that this is a good chance to rebuilt much of the city for the future.
Dragons Bay
30-07-2005, 08:53
Not exactly the person you want to quote, is it?
And it is a Million deaths, not a thousand.

I don't know who it is from.

In today's world, even one death can easily become just a statistic.
Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 08:53
I doubt it. The PRC can forcibly relocate the people, build good infrastructure and then let the people move back in.

Such a thing is unthinkable in India. The government cannot even forcibly evacuate the illegal encroachers from slums. The state govt did try it and removed some slums for a day. The next day all protests and vote bank politics and the usual corruption and the slum-removal drive had to be abandoned.

Most of the slums must have been washed away with the flood. Let's see what the govt does. I am very sceptical though.
Leonstein
30-07-2005, 09:00
I don't know who it is from.
Stalin, at the Yalta conference I think.
Before and during he killed upwards of twenty million people...
Dragons Bay
30-07-2005, 09:02
Stalin, at the Yalta conference I think.
Before and during he killed upwards of twenty million people...

Wow. Stalin's intelligence? What an awful oxymoron.
Olantia
30-07-2005, 10:04
What a terrible event... is Goa affected? My friends visited it in spring.

Wow. Stalin's intelligence? What an awful oxymoron.
Unfortunately not. We had an evil genius, a monster, ruling our country for thirty years.
Dicohead
30-07-2005, 10:17
Wow. Stalin's intelligence? What an awful oxymoron.

20 million WTF :mad:

F U, 20 million is made up, some 5 milion ppl went through the camp gulag system during his time, if he had killed 20 million the population of present day russia would be smaller :rolleyes:

20 million is the soviet death toll from ww2 5 million soldiers KIA 2 million soldier that were not even armed but captured at start of the war and killed by nazis, and 13 million civilians[includes jews and other etchnic groups who were sendt to death camps} STalin was evil, but so was churchil, hace you any idea how many ppl died in the britishs colonyes, more then in Stalins gulags ten times more[in the 1920-47, I am not counting death during rest of empirial time]

Stalin Owns

All hail comrade Stalin
Lashie
30-07-2005, 10:18
I find it really amzing and sad that I only just heard this on here and when I go to school on Monday, cahnces are no one will talk about it or care about it, but if it happened in England, USA or my own country (Aust) it would be labelled a disaster and everyone would be upset...
Dicohead
30-07-2005, 10:20
"One death is a tragedy. One thousand deaths is a statistic."

Is not that quote from Lenin? or Stalin I am not sure, but i think Lenin
Dicohead
30-07-2005, 10:23
I doubt it. The PRC can forcibly relocate the people, build good infrastructure and then let the people move back in.

Such a thing is unthinkable in India. The government cannot even forcibly evacuate the illegal encroachers from slums. The state govt did try it and removed some slums for a day. The next day all protests and vote bank politics and the usual corruption and the slum-removal drive had to be abandoned.

Most of the slums must have been washed away with the flood. Let's see what the govt does. I am very sceptical though.

Well, anyways shit happens, but still its tragic...
India and china are different yeah, when shit happens in china they are abel to do somethink, but india is slum and ppl suffer more when shit like this happens :(
Olantia
30-07-2005, 10:29
20 million WTF :mad:

F U, 20 million is made up, some 5 milion ppl went through the camp gulag system during his time, if he had killed 20 million the population of present day russia would be smaller :rolleyes:
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm#Stalin

20 million is the soviet death toll from ww2 5 million soldiers KIA 2 million soldier that were not even armed but captured at start of the war and killed by nazis, and 13 million civilians[includes jews and other etchnic groups who were sendt to death camps} STalin was evil, but so was churchil, hace you any idea how many ppl died in the britishs colonyes, more then in Stalins gulags ten times more[in the 1920-47, I am not counting death during rest of empirial time]
The part about the British is counterfactual.

Stalin Owns

All hail comrade Stalin
No comments.
Pepe Dominguez
30-07-2005, 10:36
Didn't you know that 1 American life = 10 British life = 100 third worlder's life.

That's how the media works. 1 Natalee something > 50 odd Britishers > 800 odd Indians.


Maybe the wire services should stick to tradition and keep the name Bombay, like it's always been, instead if this "Mumbai" crap I've been hearing...

And don't get me started on "Cote d'ivoire," or whatever the hell they're calling it now. It's the damned Ivory Coast. Who cares what some backward African calls it, or how Indians pronounce things.. pfft. I say "pfft" to all of it. No charity from me until I get some results on those two, I say.
Dicohead
30-07-2005, 10:52
That link, or what reads there is bull, did you not know that the brits were evil to the places they had under there rule.. LIke during the war in the some asian contry 3 million ppl died becouse they worked as slaves to help the brit war effort...
You mocowites always had a thing for selling out russia and hoping to be part of the west..... Hope the rest of russia turn their guns on you
Boonytopia
30-07-2005, 11:01
That link, or what reads there is bull, did you not know that the brits were evil to the places they had under there rule.. LIke during the war in the some asian contry 3 million ppl died becouse they worked as slaves to help the brit war effort...
You mocowites always had a thing for selling out russia and hoping to be part of the west..... Hope the rest of russia turn their guns on you

You haven't provided any meaningfull or concrete evidence for your assertions. Which asian country? What happened there? How were they used as slaves?

The Japanese used asian slave labour to build their Burma railway during the war.
Dicohead
30-07-2005, 11:04
You haven't provided any meaningfull or concrete evidence for your assertions. Which asian country? What happened there? How were they used as slaves?

The Japanese used asian slave labour to build their Burma railway during the war.

EVidenca, a god demn link is not evidence, it is just a link to a place that says the same as you, i am talking about indonisia or fillipines or something...

Anyway dont push you luck, i liked you aussies till now ;)
Olantia
30-07-2005, 11:14
That link, or what reads there is bull, did you not know that the brits were evil to the places they had under there rule.. LIke during the war in the some asian contry 3 million ppl died becouse they worked as slaves to help the brit war effort...
My link was not concerned with the British Empire. And about an Asian country--wouldn't you enlighten me what country it was?

You mocowites always had a thing for selling out russia and hoping to be part of the west..... Hope the rest of russia turn their guns on you
I think this statement can be construed as wishing death to the inhabitants of my home city and to me in particular. Am I wrong?
Olantia
30-07-2005, 11:15
EVidenca, a god demn link is not evidence, it is just a link to a place that says the same as you, i am talking about indonisia or fillipines or something...

...
Neither Indonesia nor the Philippines were parts of the British Empire.
Leonstein
30-07-2005, 11:46
Stalin did kill upwards of 20 million people, the gulags, the show trials, the executions, the famines, the working to death etc

But you're all hijacking the thread now. What about a Comrade Stalin thread? ;)

Although I always wanted to see whether there really are Soviet Revisionists out there. I'd always just heard about them, now I've seen one in real life!
Awesome!
Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 17:39
Maybe the wire services should stick to tradition and keep the name Bombay, like it's always been, instead if this "Mumbai" crap I've been hearing...

And don't get me started on "Cote d'ivoire," or whatever the hell they're calling it now. It's the damned Ivory Coast. Who cares what some backward African calls it, or how Indians pronounce things.. pfft. I say "pfft" to all of it. No charity from me until I get some results on those two, I say.

It is our country, our city and we will call it in any damned way we like it.

Mumbai was named after the Goddess Mumbadevi and it has a history of atleast a thousand years. Just cuz the Brits could not pronounce it properly and they massacred the names and we have to still use the mutilated names - a remainder of the brutal colonial rule ?

We will call our cities in our tongues. Get used to it.
Drunk commies deleted
30-07-2005, 17:51
I'd heard about this on the radio earlier in the week. My sympathy goes out to the people of India and the families of those killed or injured.
Aryavartha
30-07-2005, 18:13
Thanks for all those who have expressed condolences and prayers.

Death toll rises to 853 :(

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5177841,00.html
Death Toll in Bombay Floods Climbs to 853

Saturday July 30, 2005 10:01 AM

BOMBAY, India (AP) - The discovery of more bodies pushed the death toll from this week's monsoon floods in Bombay to more than 850 on Saturday, with officials warning it will likely rise to around 1,000.

Boeing skids while landing, luckily nothing happened but Mumbai airport is now closed

http://sify.com/news/othernews/fullstory.php?id=13906793
A-I Boeing skids off runway; Mumbai airport closed


Saturday, 30 July , 2005, 11:04

Mumbai: An Air-India Boeing 747-400 skidded and went off the runway into soft ground after landing early on Saturday, leading to the closure of Mumbai Airport.

This is a nice story..
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=10246
Mumbai rains fail to deter Nikahnama
By Ajay Sharma, Raipur, July 29: In a first of its kind,a muslim couple were forced to tie the knot on telephone as the heavy rainfall brought the city standstill, due to which the bride and groom could not be together at the time of ‘nikah’.

The on going heavy rainfall in Maharashtra had made the marriage of Baaqar Abbas with Mahira almost impossible, as all trains and flights were cancelled. Even the phonelines were out of order. But it was solemnised avoiding all problems. Their marriage has proved that no obstacles can prevent the meeting of two souls.