Rescue operation on as Godavari river overflows after heavy rain in Nashik. (Express file photo by Yatish Bhanu)
Maharashtra Rains Highlights: After Kolhapur and Sangli were affected by heavy rains in Western Maharashtra in the last few days, five rescue teams of the Indian Navy were mobilised Wednesday to provide assistance in the belt, according to news agency PTI.
Three villages having around 7,000 people in Kolhapur were marooned due to floods, even as more than 50,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday from two districts. Pune Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar on Tuesday said the flood situation in Kolhapur and Sangli was “critical” as several rivers in the region were flowing above the danger mark.
Maharashtra Chief Minister reviewing the flood situation in various parts of the state chaired a meeting in Mumbai to take stock of the losses and the number of affected people. CM Fadnavis has directed the concerned authorities to make adequate arrangements of food, drinking water and other essential items in Kolhapur, Sangli, Raigad and Palghar, districts, a statement from the CMO said.
The Mumbai-Nashik highway in Maharashtra’s Kasara Ghat was reduced to a single-lane road after developing major cracks due to heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, heavy rain and flooding wreaked havoc in Sangli and Kolhapur districts, leading to the evacuation of around 56,000 people from affected areas, and the closure of the Mumbai-Bangalore highway between Sangli and Kolhapur. (Express photo by Deepak Joshi)
All schools and colleges to remain closed in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district tomorrow due to flood following heavy rainfall in the region. All schools and colleges to remain closed tomorrow in 3 tehsils of Pune district and in 5 tehsils of Sangli district.
The Met department has issued a warning of "very heavy rainfall" at few places in five districts of Chhattisgarh, including Raipur. The department on Wednesday evening also predicted "heavy rains" in next 24 hours in five districts of Bastar division where incessant rains have sent major rivers into spate, disrupting normal life. (PTI)
Over 1.32 lakh people have been shifted to safer places in Western Maharashtra with the flood situation remaining especially grim in Kolhapur and Sangli districts of the region on Wednesday following heavy rains. Sixteen deaths in rain- and flood-related incidents have been reported from western Maharashtra in the last seven days, officials said. (PTI)
In rain-battered Karnataka, Home Minister Amit Shah instructed state Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to focus his attention on flood relief and rehabilitation in the state. Parts of the state are reeling under floods and torrential rains. Yediyuappa was scheduled to finalise the Cabinet formation with the BJP central leadership but had to cut short his visit to New Delhi following Shah's orders. "Today I was supposed to meet the President of India at 5 pm but Amit Shah directed me not to bother about the cabinet expansion, and visit some flood affected areas like Belagavi and four-five other districts," Yediyurappa told reporters after reaching Bengaluru Wednesday. (PTI)
With the depression over Bay of Bengal intensifying into a deep depression on Wednesday, heavy downpour battered several parts of Odisha, triggering a flood-like situation and disrupting train services in some areas, a senior official said. At least three wagons of a goods train derailed in Ambadola station and several trains have been cancelled or diverted due to heavy waterlogging on tracks, a railway official said. (PTI)
Flood situation in Maharashtra and Karnataka continues to be grim due to incessant rains coupled with the release of water from major reservoirs over the last few days. Indian Army is assisting both state authorities in carrying out rescue operations in flood-hit areas.
The flood situation following incessant rains in western Maharashtra's Kolhapur continued t remain grim on Wednesday, affecting nearly 51,000 people 200 villages and submerging over 340 bridges, officials said. "Around 204 villages out of total 1,234 in Kolhapur have been affected due to the floods. Total 11,000 families, comprising nearly 51,000 individuals, are affected and 15,000 people have been shifted to safer places," Kolhapur's resident deputy collector Sanjay Shinde told PTI.
Meanwhile, CM Fadnavis who initially delayed his Mahajanadesh yatra to review the flood situation in parts of Maharashtra, the yatra now stands cancelled for two more days due to the untimely death of ex EAM and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. The Yatra has been called off for Wednesday and Thursday as he left for Delhi to attend the last rites on Wednesday afternoon.
Around Wednesday noon, the Indian Air Force joined the ongoing relief work in Kolhapur and Sangli. An AVRO aircraft of South Western Air Command of the IAF flew an NDRF and 3000 kg of life-saving equipment including two lifeboats and communication equipment and landed at Kolhapur airport amidst continuous heavy rain around 12.10 pm. Earlier in the morning around 7.40 am, one Medium Lift Helicopter of the IAF carrying with NDRF personnel and load from Pune airbase had attempted to reach Kolhapur but had to abort due to bad weather conditions on the way, IAF officials said.
In addition to one team each of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, two more teams of the Navy reached Kolhapur by aircraft on Wednesday morning and joined aid and relief work.
Welcome to our LIVE Blog! Various areas across Maharashtra are facing a deluge-like situation due to heavy rains and incessant flooding which has led to waterlogged roads. Mumbai has also been receiving extremely heavy showers over the past week which caused the Indian Navy and Air Force to deploy boats and choppers for rescue operations. Stay tuned to this space for latest updates.