Rains: US warns citizens living in Mumbai

Flooded streets in Mumbai during the last weekend has prompted the US Consulate to issue an advisory to its citizens living in the city.

The advisory warns them of open manholes and non-existent sidewalks.

'You should follow common sense precautions, avoiding low-lying areas that appear to be flooded,' says the warden advisory by the American Citizens Service Unit put up on the Consulate General of United States website of India on Monday.

The south-west monsoons lashed the metropolis on June 7 innundating parts of the city over the weekend and resulting in the loss of five lives.

'To ease flooding in Mumbai, Bombay Municipal Corporation workers will open manhole covers on roads, and there will be no warning-markers placed around these open holes. In reduced visibility conditions, you could drive into one of these open manholes,' the advisory states.

Manhole covers are at times opened during floods as was done during the deluge on July 26, 2005.

'You should also pay attention when walking, since sidewalks are non-existent in some areas or used for other purposes in most parts of the city. It's possible that you could inadvertently step into an open manhole,' the advisory states, adding that all the city's drains empty in the Arabian Sea. It also lists 13 'dangerous days' of rains.

However, the city's civic commissioner who has faced a lot of flak for the municipal body's monsoon 'preparedness', said the advisory did not indicate they had failed in handling the rains.