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Natural Disasters

  • Panchkula not ready for rains

    With most drains clogged and no arrangements being made by the Municipal Council and the Haryana Urban Development Authority till date to check waterlogging, Panchkula has a long way to go before it can claim to be prepared for the rainy season. Newslinetakes a look at the situation

  • Rains leave six dead in interior Sindh

    Dust storms and rains hit some parts of interior Sindh on Tuesday, killing six persons, injuring dozens and damaging property worth millions of rupees, besides causing suspension of electricity supply to many areas. The Met Office had forecast dust storm and rains in Sindh, particularly over coastal areas including Karachi, Badin and Thatta. The rains turned the weather pleasant; however, at some areas, dust storm resulted in some casualties and damage to properties.

  • Tortoises safe as Galapagos volcano eruption ends

    The lava from an erupting Galapagos volcano did not affect the islands' famed giant tortoises as first feared, Galapagos National Park officials said today. The Cerro Azul volcano on Isabela Island erupted between Thursday and Sunday, unleashing a heavy flow of lava, park authorities said in a statement. Isabela, the largest island in the archipelago, is home to rare and unique flora and fauna, including the Galapagos giant tortoise, which can weigh more than 230 kilos and live more than 100 years.

  • Floods in Sri Lanka: 16 killed, over 200,000 displaced

    At least 16 people were killed and about 200,000 were displaced in Sri Lanka due to torrential rains that has been lashing the country since last week. The National Disaster Management Centre said that the death toll had gone up to 16 with the deaths of four people in the same family including an infant and an 11-year-old girl due to a landslide. The Meteorology Department warned the public of continuing rainfall in the next few days with the start of the southwestern monsoon. Heavy rains struck Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Ratnapura districts.

  • China working to prevent epidemics among 5 million left homeless by earthquake

    Workers in protective suits circled collapsed communities in trucks on Monday, spraying disinfectant on rubble from last month's massive earthquake as part of a government campaign to prevent disease outbreaks among the 5 million left homeless. Providing safe food, drinking water and temporary shelters was a priority following the May 12 earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people, the Health Ministry said. Bodies discovered in the rubble were being disinfected, ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said in an interview posted on the central government's Web site.

  • Over 100 pc rainfall in Thane: Agri college

    WHILE the THANE municipal corporation is yet to complete the pre-monsoon repair and cleaning work, the news from an agricultural college that Thane may get over 100 per cent rainfall this year, would increase the woes of Thanekars. According to sources, a Pune-based agricultural college has carried out a study with regard to the forthcoming monsoons and has claimed that Thane will receive 102 per cent of rainfall this monsoon. According to the met department, normal rainfall is between five per cent and 100 per cent.

  • It ain't monsoon yet

    After bearing the scorching heat for almost a week, the city dwellers got an opportunity to soak themselves as moderate to heavy showers lashed the city this evening, bringing with it much needed relief and hope of an early monsoon. But, the weather office was quick to point out that the showers were not even the pre-monsoon ones and it was the formation of a low pressure trough over Gangetic West Bengal that was responsible for the heavy rain. The weatherman also said that a cyclonic development in Jharkhand propelled the rain gods.

  • Heavy floods in Lanka, 9 killed

    Floods triggered by torrential rain have killed at least nine and forced thousands of people from their homes in Sri Lanka, with some taking shelter in schools and temples, officials said on Monday. Flooding, often fuelled by monsoon rains, and ensuing mass displacement are common in Sri Lanka. "Nine people have been killed and a total of 83,433 people have been affected due to the heavy rains," said Keerthi Ekanayake, national coordinator at the National Disaster Management Centre.

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