Warnings issued as parts of India battle heavy rains
STORY: The weather department said the coastal districts of the Maharashtra state are likely to experience moderate to heavy rains and has warned residents to not step out unless necessary.
"An orange alert has been issued for Mumbai for the next five days, but we are still monitoring the situation there," said the director of the Indian Meteorological Department, Jayanta Sarkar.
Meanwhile, the capital, Mumbai city, which has been witnessing incessant rains since last week, witnessed traffic snarls and locals wading through waterlogged roads caused by poor drainage.
Heavy rain is also impacting India's Assam state, depriving the locals of their livelihoods and homes.
Floods brought extensive damage as it has inundated 40,000 hectares of cultivated land and washed away cattle, impacting millions of people, most of whom depend on agriculture for their living.
With cattle washed away and crops inundated, locals, who were compelled to take shelter on roadside tents, were at the mercy of government aid for food supplies and other essential needs.
"All the houses here have been damaged by floods. Our wheat, rice, hens, cows…everything has drowned. The farmlands have drowned too. The floods took away the fish from the fisheries. We are breaking ourselves every day and going through extreme difficulties to get food. The government is not providing us much relief," said flood victim Zareena Khatun on Tuesday.
