Fresh Indian floods displace 47,000 people
Pastor Dale Morgan
Fresh Indian floods displace 47,000 people
*
BHOPAL, India, Aug 19 (AFP) Aug 19, 2006
Nearly 47,000 people were hit by floods brought on by torrential monsoon
rains in central India, officials said Saturday.
"As many as 80 human lives have been lost in a week. The floods have
caused major damage to property, crops, embankments and infrastructure
worth hundreds of millions of rupees," an official, who did not want to
be named, said.
Thousands of people had taken shelter in makeshift government camps in
central Madhya Pradesh state.
Army troops were called in after several areas were inundated.
In some districts, the Narmada river had crossed the danger mark while
others such as Parvati and Kalisindh were overflowing.
Traffic, telephone networks and electricity supply were severely
disrupted after the state received a record rainfall since 1973.
Health officials feared disease outbreaks because of overflowing drains.
The weather office forecast heavy rains in several districts.
In the western desert state of Rajasthan, four children clinging to
trees for hours drowned in rising waters, police said.
Authorities were trying to rescue nearly half a dozen employees of an
electricity supply office after a wall collapsed on them.
Earlier this month, nearly 10 million peopler were affected by floods in
western Gujarat state where the diamond-polishing hub of Surat was
inundated for five days.
strs-pg/pmc/lod