Saturday, September 10 2005 12:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Heavy rains lashed the city throughout last night (Sept 9, 2005) inundating several low-lying areas, especially in the western suburbs, while 500 families have been shifted to safer places.

Rail and road traffic which was affected badly since yesterday (Sept 9, 2005) was limping back to normal after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) pumped out water from several low lying areas like Bhandup, Kurla, Andheri, Bandra, Goregaon, Jogeshwari and Dahisar.

The suburban trains on Central Railway and Western Railway are running late by half an hour to 45 minutes, railway officials said adding, traffic on the Central Railway had come to a halt in the early hours of today due to water logging, especially at Bhandup delaying suburban trains and the long distance trains.

The harbour line services of Central Railway continued to be almost normal, railway sources said.

Mumbai was battered by the century's heaviest rains at the end of July bringing the city to a standstill for two days and where more than 400 people died due to rain-related incidents.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said there was no need to panic and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and other agencies have been keeping a vigil throughout.

After July 26 deluge experience, the agencies were kept on alert for any emergency situation, he said.

BMC Commissioner Johny Joseph said about 500 families have been evacuated to safer places from the low-lying areas of Parel, Ghatkopar and Kurla.

The weather bureau said the rainfall recorded for the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am today was 217 mm of which about 200 mm was recorded within a span of few hours yesterday afternoon.

Heavy to very heavy rains are expected in many parts of the city in next 24 hours, weather bureau sources here said.