Tag: Maharashtra rain

  • Maharashtra floods: ‘Central war room’ formed for coordination among 3 services for rescue operations

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A ‘central war room’ has been established at the Department of Military Affairs in the Defence Ministry for close coordination among the three wings of the armed forces for flood relief operations in Maharashtra, the Indian Army said on Sunday.

    With unprecedented rains and resultant overflowing of various rivers, a number of areas in Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli and several other districts of the state have been inundated.

    “A central war room has been established at the Department of Military Affairs for close coordination between the three Services for ongoing flood relief operations in Maharashtra,” the Indian Army said on Twitter on Sunday.

    The number of deaths due to flooding, landslides and other rain-related incidents in parts of Maharashtra reached 113 on Sunday with one more casualty reported in the last 24 hours, while 100 people were missing after the monsoon fury.

    ALSO READ | Maharashtra landslides: At least 113 dead, 100 missing; CM visits rain-battered Chiplun

    On the request of the civil administration, the Indian Army’s Southern Command has mobilised flood relief and rescue teams to assist locals in flood-affected areas.

    As on Saturday, a total of 15 flood relief teams from Aundh Military Station and Bombay Engineering Group, Pune were deployed for flood relief and rescue operations in Sangli, Palus, Burli and Chiplun, an official statement said.

    “The columns are involved in rescue of villagers stranded in submerged areas and restoring normalcy in the inundated areas.

    Over 100 people have already been rescued from the affected areas and relocated to safe locations,” it had said on Saturday.

    The Indian Army is also providing cooked meals and drinking water to the villagers.

    Medical camps have been established wherein, teams of army doctors and nursing assistants have been deployed for providing necessary first aid and medicines to evacuated locals, the statement added.

  • Maharashtra: At least 112 dead in rain fury as landslides and floods leave trail of destruction

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The death toll from the torrential rains that battered Maharashtra’s Pune and Konkan divisions over the last three days and triggered landslides in some areas rose to 112 on Saturday, including 52 in the coastal Raigad district alone, the state government said in a release.

    As many as 1,35,313 people have been shifted to safer places including 78,111 in Western Maharashtra’s Sangli district followed by 40,882 in Kolhapur district.

    The Krishna river in Sangli and Panchganga in Kolhapur are in flood though the rains have subsided, officials said.

    As people in flood-hit towns such as Chiplun, Khed and Mahad in Konkan struggled to come to terms with the disaster, the challenge before the administration is to restore water and electricity supply and arrange food and medicines in affected areas.

    As many as 41 bodies have been recovered at Taliye village in Raigad where a landslide struck on Thursday.

    Several others are still missing, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Konkan) Sanjay Mohite told PTI.

    The India Meteorology Department (IMD) said rainfall intensity along the west coast was expected to decrease over the next 24 hours.

    Between July 21 and 24, Raigad district reported 52 deaths, followed by Ratnagiri (21), Satara (13) and Thane (12).

    Kolhapur reported seven deaths, Mumbai four, Sindhudurg two and Pune one, the release said.

    A total of 99 people are missing in these areas, including 53 in Raigad, 27 in Satara, 14 in Ratnagiri, three in Thane and one each in Sindhudurg and Kolhapur.

    At least 53 people were injured in rain-related incidents.

    As many as 3,221 cattle also perished, including 3,024 in Satara district and 115 in Ratnagiri, the official release said.

    The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 34 teams for rescue operations in the state, its spokesperson said.

    Besides, teams of local administration and the Army are engaged in rescue and relief work.

    In Satara district, at least 13 bodies have been recovered from the sites of landslide at Ambeghar and Dhokawale villages, collector Shekhar Singh said.

    The landslides had occurred on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.

    President Ram Nath Kovind called Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari during the day and expressed his concern over the loss of life and property in the state due to rains and floods.

    Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each will be given to the kin of the victims, while the Central government has announced Rs 2 lakh each.

    Besides, ration kits including rice, pulses and kerosene will be distributed in affected areas, he said.

    The Maharashtra government was coordinating with the neighbouring Karnataka to ensure timely release of water from Almatti dam so as to ease the floods in the Kolhapur district which is upstream of the reservoir, he said.

    As landslides proved fatal in many parts of the state, the government would come up with a plan to permanently relocate people living in hilly areas, said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    He was speaking to reporters at Taliye village, the site of the deadliest landslide.

    “People living on hill slopes and hilly areas would be shifted and relocated.

    A plan would be made to shift small settlements from such places,” he said.

    Two more landslides took place in the Raigad district, while three took place in Satara district including the one at Ambeghar village.

    “Flooding is witnessed in Western Maharashtra during monsoon due to rise in water level of rivers.

    Hence, a policy would be formulated for the management of water in this region,’” the chief minister added.

    “You will be taken care of. Don’t worry,” Thackeray told the villagers.

    In Ratnagiri district, towns of Chiplun and Khed were among the worst-affected by the floods.

    “Schools as well as some private properties are being used as shelters as well as primary treatment centres for the injured. The real challenge is identifying and tracing missing people,” a senior official of the NDRF said.

    State minister Uday Samant said water has receded from some areas of Chiplun town, but some parts are still inundated.

    The topography of Chiplun town is like a bowl, said a district official.

    “In the past, locals have seen roads going under water when it rains heavily. But this time it was different. In many places, the water level was higher than 14 feet, submerging entire houses,” he said.

  • 90,000 rendered homeless in flood-battered Maharashtra

    By Express News Service
    MUMBAI: As rains finally took a break, the flood-ravaged districts of Maharashtra presented a grim scenario with over 90,000 people evacuated and only beginning to grapple with the idea of how to rebuild their lives, officials said here on Saturday.

    Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray along with chief secretary Sitaram Kunte visited Taliye village where 47 people lost their lives and 53 are still missing and assured rehabilitation of the affected families. He also announced the preparations of the master plan to control the torrential floods in the Konkan and western Maharashtra regions.

    “Government will work on this water management plan that will ensure that no areas of these regions face such high flooding due to heavy rain. This is the annual affair that has to be tackled by working on a long-term plan. It will help to save the lives of the people and avert the damages done to properties and cultivated land,” Thackeray said.

    According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the towns of Chiplun and Khed in Ratnagiri district were completely inundated with water, both remained cut-off from land routes as the Vashishti River bridge was washed away in the flood.

    As unprecedented rains jacked up the water levels to more than 15-20 feet (or, two-three floors of buildings), thousands of people were stranded on rooftops or upper floors and were seen screaming for help.

    The NDRF and ICG teams were deployed to rescue them while the IAF choppers dropped food and medicine packets, and over 1,000 were evacuated safely.

    ALSO READ | Death toll in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra’s Raigad reaches 47; 53 missing

    With a stupendous record 110-cms rainfall in the popular hill station of Mahabaleshwar, massive water rushed to the Koyna Dam and Koltewadi Dam and their discharges caused the Vashishti River to swell above the danger levels, resulting in floods in the towns and villages on its banks.

    There were over a dozen hillsides and landslips in different districts burying scores and many more reported missing and efforts on a war footing are on to rescue them from the slush and stones.

    The state government has sanctioned Rs.2-crore for relief operations to the affected regions where water levels started receding and cleaning operations have been taken up.

    The SDMA today pegged the current official death toll at 76 besides another 59 missing and 38 injured in the floods, hill-slips, landslides, and other rain-related tragedies.

    The worst-hit districts were Kolhapur, Raigad, Sangli, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sindhudurg, Mumbai, and Thane, hitting a total of 890 villages.

    A total of 25 NDRF teams plus eight on standby, three units each of Indian Army and Indian Coast Guard, seven of Indian Navy, and one of Indian Air Force, besides local authorities are engaged in the rescue operations non-stop for the past over 24 hours.

    The SDMA said that with fresh rains starting in the area, the authorities are on high alert to prevent any untoward situation while health officials are keeping an eye on the region for a possible outbreak of any diseases in the flood aftermath.

    (With agency inputs)

  • JEE-Main candidates from places hit by heavy rain in Maharashtra to get another chance to appear for test

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Candidates unable to reach test centres for JEE-Mains in heavy rain and landslide affected areas of Maharashtra will get another chance to appear for the engineering entrance exam, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Saturday.

    “In light of the heavy rains and landslides in Maharashtra, to assist the Maharashtra student community, I have advised the @DG_NTA to grant another opportunity to all candidates who may not be able to reach the test centre for JEE (Main)-2021 Session 3,” Pradhan said in a tweet.

    “Students from Kolhapur, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigadh, Sindhudurg, Sangli & Satara, who are unable to reach their test centres on 25 and 27 July for JEE (Main)-2021 Session 3 need not panic. hey will be given another opportunity,and the dates will be announced soon by the National Testing Agency (NTA),” he tweeted.

    At least 76 people died, 38 others injured and 59 are missing after many areas in Maharashtra were hit by floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains.

    Parts of the Raigad and Ratnagiri districts in the coastal Konkan region and Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra have been worst affected by the floods.

    Besides that, heavy rains have been pounding parts of the Satara district.

  • 8 NDRF teams from Odisha leave for rain-hit Maharashtra, Goa for rescue operations

    By Express News Service
    BHUBANESWAR: About eight teams of the National Disaster Response Force’s (NDRF)  on Friday left for rain-hit Maharashtra and Goa to assist rescue and relief operations in the two western states.

    The teams of NDRF’s third Battalion at Mundali in Cuttack district carrying outboard motorboats, and collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) equipment with them left in three aircraft. Each team consists of at least 25 personnel.

    “The teams left for Maharashtra and Goa in three Indian Air Force’s (IAF) special flights. Four teams will be deployed in Pune and two each in Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra and Goa,” an NDRF official told The New Indian Express.

    ALSO READ | 71 killed in landslides, rain-related incidents in Maharashtra

    The teams are carrying flood equipment. They also have CSSR equipment to carry out rescue operations in case any structure collapses due to the floods and people are trapped under the debris, he added.

    NDRF sources said two teams left for Goa at 12.15 pm, as many teams then left for Ratnagiri district and four teams were dispatched to Pune from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar.

    Heavy rainfall in Maharashtra has wreaked havoc as 35 people have been killed. Sattari in Goa, which is close to the Konkan region of Maharashtra, has been flooded too.

    As many rivers in Raigad, Thane, Ratnagiri, and Kolhapur districts are flowing at dangerous levels, NDRF, Coast Guard, Navy, and Army personnel have been deployed.