Australia Queensland News

Australia's prime minister on Wednesday said he would declare a national emergency following floods across large swathes of the east coast that have claimed 22 lives.

Australia`s eastern rivers were already near capacity following record downpours in several parts of Queensland and New South Wales states. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said minor to major flooding was occurring from the Queensland to Victoria border. Heavy rains lashed Sydney overnight with some suburbs receiving up to 200 mm since Monday morning.

The country`s weather bureau warned Sydney and surrounding regions could receive up to 200 mm (8 inches) of rains within six hours later in the day. Sydney`s mean rainfall for March is 138 mm, according to official data.

More than 1.5 metres of rain, close to the average annual rainfall, has come down since Thursday in many parts. The recent flooding in Brisbane is the worst since 2011 when the city of 2.6 million people was inundated by what was described as a once-in-a-century event.

Indian energy giant Adani on Thursday said a final investment decision on its 21.7 billion dollar Carmichael coal mine project in Australia's Queensland state was expected within this month.

India's mining giant Adani Group's 16.5 billion dollar coal mine project in Australia's Queensland has run into another controversy after reports that senior bureaucrats were sidelined over key decisions on the deal for the venture which was red-flagged by many officials.