News Analysis India

Tag: Maharashtra Rains

  • 11 dead in 10 days as rain batters parts of Vidarbha

    By PTI

    NAPUR: At last 11 people have died due to floods and lightning in Nagpur division of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region so far since since July 13, while more than 1,600 houses have been damaged after heavy rains in the area, officials said on Sunday.

    Rains also affected 875.84 hectares of agriculture land in parts of the Nagpur division- which consists of Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts, as per a preliminary report issued by authorities here.

    Heavy rains have been lashing parts of Vidarbha region – comprising Amravati, Akola, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim, and Yavatmal – since the last few days.

    Eleven people lost their lives in incidents of flooding and lightning in the Nagpur division from July 13 till date, as per the report.

    Gadchiroli and Bhandara witnessed three deaths each, Wardha and Gondia two each and Chandrapur reported one death, it said.

    The report said 1,601 houses and huts were damaged in the six districts of Nagpur division, while 39 animals also died in the rain fury.

    Rains and flooding also affected 875. 84 hectares of agriculture land in the Nagpur division, including 853. 74 hectares in Chandrapur and 22.1 hectares in Wardha.

    In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday, Akola recorded 107.9 mm rainfall, followed by Yavatmal-24.0 mm, Wardha-23.4 mm, Amravati- 15.6 mm, Nagpur-6.7 mm, Gadchiroli-3.0 mm, Gondia-2.2 mm, Brahmpuri (in Chandrapur)-2.4 mm and Buldhana-2.0 mm, as per the Regional Meteorological Centre in Nagpur.

    In Yavatmal district, around 110 people stranded due to floods in Anandnagar Tanda village under Mahagaon tehsil were rescued on Saturday.

    The flood waters receded on Sunday in many areas of Yavatmal and the rain intensity also reduced, officials said.

    Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil visited Yavatmal on Sunday to take stock of the situation.

    In Buldhana district, nearly 100 people were shifted to safer places at Katargaon village in Sangrampur tehsil on Saturday.

    There was no flooding in the district on Sunday, senior officials said.

    According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there is a possibility of heavy rains in Amravati district, while cloudy weather is likely to prevail in other parts of Vidarbha.

    NAPUR: At last 11 people have died due to floods and lightning in Nagpur division of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region so far since since July 13, while more than 1,600 houses have been damaged after heavy rains in the area, officials said on Sunday.

    Rains also affected 875.84 hectares of agriculture land in parts of the Nagpur division- which consists of Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts, as per a preliminary report issued by authorities here.

    Heavy rains have been lashing parts of Vidarbha region – comprising Amravati, Akola, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim, and Yavatmal – since the last few days.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Eleven people lost their lives in incidents of flooding and lightning in the Nagpur division from July 13 till date, as per the report.

    Gadchiroli and Bhandara witnessed three deaths each, Wardha and Gondia two each and Chandrapur reported one death, it said.

    The report said 1,601 houses and huts were damaged in the six districts of Nagpur division, while 39 animals also died in the rain fury.

    Rains and flooding also affected 875. 84 hectares of agriculture land in the Nagpur division, including 853. 74 hectares in Chandrapur and 22.1 hectares in Wardha.

    In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday, Akola recorded 107.9 mm rainfall, followed by Yavatmal-24.0 mm, Wardha-23.4 mm, Amravati- 15.6 mm, Nagpur-6.7 mm, Gadchiroli-3.0 mm, Gondia-2.2 mm, Brahmpuri (in Chandrapur)-2.4 mm and Buldhana-2.0 mm, as per the Regional Meteorological Centre in Nagpur.

    In Yavatmal district, around 110 people stranded due to floods in Anandnagar Tanda village under Mahagaon tehsil were rescued on Saturday.

    The flood waters receded on Sunday in many areas of Yavatmal and the rain intensity also reduced, officials said.

    Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil visited Yavatmal on Sunday to take stock of the situation.

    In Buldhana district, nearly 100 people were shifted to safer places at Katargaon village in Sangrampur tehsil on Saturday.

    There was no flooding in the district on Sunday, senior officials said.

    According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there is a possibility of heavy rains in Amravati district, while cloudy weather is likely to prevail in other parts of Vidarbha.

  • Landslide kills 16 people in rain-hit tribal village in Maharashtra, flattens 17 homes; 21 rescued

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: At least 16 people were killed when a massive landslide struck a remote hilly tribal village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district overnight amid rains, while the National Disaster Response Force stopped its day-long search and rescue operation for survivors due to downpour on Thursday, NDRF officials said.

    As many as 21 people were rescued from the site, they said.

    The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai, and flattened 17 of the nearly 50 houses in the hamlet, an official said.

    The incident took place after torrential rains in the hilly area.

    From the hill base, it takes around 1. 5 hours to reach Irshalwadi, which does not have a pucca road.

    NDRF and police officials said 16 bodies were recovered from the landslide site during the day, while 21 people were rescued. The Raigad police said the last rites of 13 victims were performed near the disaster site.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Irshalwadi in the morning to take stock of the situation and spoke to personnel engaged in the rescue operation. “Irshalwadi was not on the list of landslide-prone villages. Our priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble,” he told reporters at the site.

    This is a very unfortunate incident and the state government stands with the affected people, Shinde said. There is continuous heavy rainfall and the debris and rubble has mounted up to 15 to 20 feet, he added.

    Shinde said authorities were not able to move the machinery for the rescue operation. Two helicopters have been kept ready for the operation, but they have not been able to take off due to bad weather, he said.

    On the rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers, the CM said 50 to 60 containers have been arranged for them (as temporary shelters) and there was a plan to move them to a safer place.

    “We will soon take steps to carry out proper rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers. I have spoken to the divisional commissioner and district collector and discussed on the permanent rehabilitation of these villagers immediately. We are doing it on a war footing,” Shinde said.

    Search and rescue personnel at the site were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be easily moved, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other officials said.

    In the evening, NDRF personnel stopped their search and rescue operation at the landslide site due to bad weather and will resume the exercise on Friday morning. NDRF personnel were armed with only small tools as it was difficult to move heavy equipment to the disaster site due to hilly terrain and bad weather.

    “Due to continuous heavy rain and the threat of more landslides as well as darkness, the NDRF has called off its operation for the day,” an official said.

    The four NDRF teams heading the search and rescue operation along with scores of other personnel will re-start their task at 5 am on Friday, he said. Personnel and heavy equipment for the rescue and relief operation were sent from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

    An official said, acting on the directive of Chief Minister Shinde, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sent three Bobcat-make machines from its solid waste management department sites. These backhoe loaders, with greater manoeuvrability due to their small size, will help in speeding up rescue and relief operations.

    Thane Municipal Corporation disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said rescue teams and equipment have moved towards the landslide site.

    A team of the Thane Disaster Response Force, fire engines from CBD Belapur, Vashi and Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai, and personnel along with 10 ambulances have been dispatched, he said.

    Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a statement, said 48 families were living in the village. The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide, officials said.

    Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road and is located 6 km from the Morbe dam, which supplies water to Navi Mumbai.

    Meanwhile, in a statement issued during the day, Deputy CM Pawar asked his supporters not to organise celebrations to mark his 63rd birthday on July 22 and directed them to donate money to rehabilitation efforts in the landslide-hit area.

    Incidentally, his supporters had planned to organise ‘Ajitotsav’ from July 22-31 to mark the birthday.

    A dinner planned for Deputy CMs Pawar and Fadnavis by NCP leader Praful Patel in Mumbai has also been called cancelled following the tragedy, Patel’s aide said.

    Eyewitnesses and survivors in Irshaldwadi narrated the shock of realising that a massive landslide had buried many of them amid heavy rains that was pounding the region for the past few days.

    They managed to come out from the mound of mud and rubble of household items, but the thought of piecing together their lives from here on weighed heavily as they recounted their brush with fate.

    There is nothing left except soil and debris, said a distraught man, who used to stay long with four friends at night in a school located at the foot of the hillock.

    Narrating the horror, the man said at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, he was sitting in the school room and chatting with his friends when he heard a loud sound.

    “I ran out of the school to save myself and later found there was a landslide which damaged our houses. My parents are trapped under the debris. Now, nothing is left except the soil and debris on the spot where my house was located,” he said fighting back tears.

    A couple and their toddler were among those who managed to extricate themselves from the debris.

    “I was sleeping when I realised we were covered by rubble and mud. I managed to pull out myself, my wife and child and then we all just ran out to save our lives,” a man said.

    “It was dark and I could hear screams of people but was not able to comprehend anything since I was unable to see what was going on. We are safe but our house is damaged,” he said, his face exhibiting the pain and shock that the incident has inflicted.

    This was the biggest landslide in Maharashtra after the one that hit Malin village under Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district on July 30, 2014. The 2014 landslide, which claimed 153 lives, had swallowed up almost the entire tribal village of around 50 families.

    MUMBAI: At least 16 people were killed when a massive landslide struck a remote hilly tribal village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district overnight amid rains, while the National Disaster Response Force stopped its day-long search and rescue operation for survivors due to downpour on Thursday, NDRF officials said.

    As many as 21 people were rescued from the site, they said.

    The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at Irshalwadi village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai, and flattened 17 of the nearly 50 houses in the hamlet, an official said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The incident took place after torrential rains in the hilly area.

    From the hill base, it takes around 1. 5 hours to reach Irshalwadi, which does not have a pucca road.

    NDRF and police officials said 16 bodies were recovered from the landslide site during the day, while 21 people were rescued. The Raigad police said the last rites of 13 victims were performed near the disaster site.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited Irshalwadi in the morning to take stock of the situation and spoke to personnel engaged in the rescue operation. “Irshalwadi was not on the list of landslide-prone villages. Our priority now is to rescue those still trapped beneath the rubble,” he told reporters at the site.

    This is a very unfortunate incident and the state government stands with the affected people, Shinde said. There is continuous heavy rainfall and the debris and rubble has mounted up to 15 to 20 feet, he added.

    Shinde said authorities were not able to move the machinery for the rescue operation. Two helicopters have been kept ready for the operation, but they have not been able to take off due to bad weather, he said.

    On the rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers, the CM said 50 to 60 containers have been arranged for them (as temporary shelters) and there was a plan to move them to a safer place.

    “We will soon take steps to carry out proper rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers. I have spoken to the divisional commissioner and district collector and discussed on the permanent rehabilitation of these villagers immediately. We are doing it on a war footing,” Shinde said.

    Search and rescue personnel at the site were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be easily moved, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other officials said.

    In the evening, NDRF personnel stopped their search and rescue operation at the landslide site due to bad weather and will resume the exercise on Friday morning. NDRF personnel were armed with only small tools as it was difficult to move heavy equipment to the disaster site due to hilly terrain and bad weather.

    “Due to continuous heavy rain and the threat of more landslides as well as darkness, the NDRF has called off its operation for the day,” an official said.

    The four NDRF teams heading the search and rescue operation along with scores of other personnel will re-start their task at 5 am on Friday, he said. Personnel and heavy equipment for the rescue and relief operation were sent from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

    An official said, acting on the directive of Chief Minister Shinde, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sent three Bobcat-make machines from its solid waste management department sites. These backhoe loaders, with greater manoeuvrability due to their small size, will help in speeding up rescue and relief operations.

    Thane Municipal Corporation disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said rescue teams and equipment have moved towards the landslide site.

    A team of the Thane Disaster Response Force, fire engines from CBD Belapur, Vashi and Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai, and personnel along with 10 ambulances have been dispatched, he said.

    Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a statement, said 48 families were living in the village. The village has around 50 houses, of which 17 were buried under the landslide, officials said.

    Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road and is located 6 km from the Morbe dam, which supplies water to Navi Mumbai.

    Meanwhile, in a statement issued during the day, Deputy CM Pawar asked his supporters not to organise celebrations to mark his 63rd birthday on July 22 and directed them to donate money to rehabilitation efforts in the landslide-hit area.

    Incidentally, his supporters had planned to organise ‘Ajitotsav’ from July 22-31 to mark the birthday.

    A dinner planned for Deputy CMs Pawar and Fadnavis by NCP leader Praful Patel in Mumbai has also been called cancelled following the tragedy, Patel’s aide said.

    Eyewitnesses and survivors in Irshaldwadi narrated the shock of realising that a massive landslide had buried many of them amid heavy rains that was pounding the region for the past few days.

    They managed to come out from the mound of mud and rubble of household items, but the thought of piecing together their lives from here on weighed heavily as they recounted their brush with fate.

    There is nothing left except soil and debris, said a distraught man, who used to stay long with four friends at night in a school located at the foot of the hillock.

    Narrating the horror, the man said at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, he was sitting in the school room and chatting with his friends when he heard a loud sound.

    “I ran out of the school to save myself and later found there was a landslide which damaged our houses. My parents are trapped under the debris. Now, nothing is left except the soil and debris on the spot where my house was located,” he said fighting back tears.

    A couple and their toddler were among those who managed to extricate themselves from the debris.

    “I was sleeping when I realised we were covered by rubble and mud. I managed to pull out myself, my wife and child and then we all just ran out to save our lives,” a man said.

    “It was dark and I could hear screams of people but was not able to comprehend anything since I was unable to see what was going on. We are safe but our house is damaged,” he said, his face exhibiting the pain and shock that the incident has inflicted.

    This was the biggest landslide in Maharashtra after the one that hit Malin village under Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district on July 30, 2014. The 2014 landslide, which claimed 153 lives, had swallowed up almost the entire tribal village of around 50 families.

  • All 27 gates of Maharashtra’s Jayakwadi dam lifted for water discharge after rains

    By PTI

    AURANGABAD: All 27 gates of the Jayakwadi dam in Aurangabad have been lifted to release water in the wake of heavy rains in neighbouring areas of Maharashtra, an official said on Sunday.

    The water discharge from Jayakwadi dam, which supplies water to Aurangabad, Jalna, and other neighbouring areas, has now crossed one lakh cubic foot per second (cusec), the official from the irrigation department said.

    Due to rainfall in the upper areas of the dam and continuous inflow into it, water was being discharged from all its 27 gates, the official said.

    The dam is filled up to 96.86 per cent of its total storage capacity and has a water inflow of 93,771 cusecs, a report from the irrigation department said.

    Hence, to maintain the level, water is being discharged at 1,08,968 cusec, it said.

    Its gates 1 to 9 have been lifted to a height of 3.5 feet and gates 10 to 27 up to four feet, the report said.

    AURANGABAD: All 27 gates of the Jayakwadi dam in Aurangabad have been lifted to release water in the wake of heavy rains in neighbouring areas of Maharashtra, an official said on Sunday.

    The water discharge from Jayakwadi dam, which supplies water to Aurangabad, Jalna, and other neighbouring areas, has now crossed one lakh cubic foot per second (cusec), the official from the irrigation department said.

    Due to rainfall in the upper areas of the dam and continuous inflow into it, water was being discharged from all its 27 gates, the official said.

    The dam is filled up to 96.86 per cent of its total storage capacity and has a water inflow of 93,771 cusecs, a report from the irrigation department said.

    Hence, to maintain the level, water is being discharged at 1,08,968 cusec, it said.

    Its gates 1 to 9 have been lifted to a height of 3.5 feet and gates 10 to 27 up to four feet, the report said.

  • Maharashtra rains: Man dead, two kin injured in Vasai landslide

    By PTI

    PALGHAR: A man was killed and two of his family members were injured on Wednesday after a landslide in Vasai town of Maharashtra’s Palghar district following heavy rains, officials said.

    Search was on for another family member and efforts were on to find out if more persons were trapped in the debris, they said.

    Local fireman and a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

    Following the landslide, a boulder from a hillock crashed on the house of Anil Singh (45) at Waghralpada in Rajavali area of Vasai around 6.30 am and he died, District Disaster Management Cell chief Vivekanand Kadam said.

    His wife Vandana Singh (40) and son Om Singh (12) got trapped in the debris.

    Some locals and firemen later pulled them out and they were admitted to a hospital for the treatment of their injuries, he said.

    VIEW PHOTOS | Monsoon rains cause havoc in different parts of the country

    The NDRF personnel also retrieved the body of Anil Singh from the debris at around 10.30 am, the official said.

    A search is still on for another family member Roshni Singh (16).

    Rescue personnel were also trying to find out if any other person was trapped in the debris, he said.

    The district, located about 100 km from the state capital Mumbai, has been witnessing very heavy rains since Tuesday night which caused water-logging in many low-lying areas.

  • Rains claim 14 lives in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh; Khadakwasla dam water to be discharged in Pune’s Mutha river

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: At least 14 people were killed in rain-related incidents in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and thousands were moved to safety as heavy downpour lashed parts of west and central India on Monday.

    Three persons were missing in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district after heavy rains and incessant downpour led to a rise in water levels of several rivers in Nashik district, where many temples, located on the bed of the Godavari river, were submerged.

    Officials said three persons were swept away in overflowing nullahs in the last three days and their bodies were fished out later.

    However, three more persons are still missing after being swept away in the nullah , they said.

    Mumbai and its adjoining areas also received moderate showers on Monday.

    After eluding the capital for over a week, rains lashed parts of Delhi on Monday afternoon bringing temporary relief from the muggy weather conditions.

    However, by evening, the weather again turned humid.

    Moderate rainfall occurred at most places in Rajasthan while isolated places received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours ending Monday morning, weather officials said.

    At least seven people were killed as heavy rains pounded several parts of south and central Gujarat districts, causing a flood-like situation in many areas, while over 9,000 people were relocated and 468 rescued.

    In south Gujarat, Dang, Navsari, Tapi, and Valsad districts were affected while the rain-hit districts in central Gujarat are Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, and Kheda.

    The Met department issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rains in Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi and Surat during the next five days.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured Gujarat of all possible help from the Centre.

    “Seven persons died in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll due to rain-related incidents like lightning, drowning, wall collapse etc in Gujarat to 63 since June 1,” state Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi said.

    He said 18 platoons each of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed at strategic locations for rescue and relief operations as and when required.

    A total of 5,278 people in Chhota Udepur district, 2,902 in Navsari and 469 in Valsad and a few more in other rain-affected districts were shifted from flooded areas to safer places, out of which 3,821 stayed while others returned home after the water receded, he said.

    In Madhya Pradesh, the Met department issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in 33 of 52 districts of the state, while lightning amid steady downpour claimed seven lives in the last 24 hours.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said very heavy rainfall in the 64.5 to 204.4 mm range was likely to lash 33 districts.

    An official from the revenue department said lightning strikes at various places killed seven persons in a 24-hour period ending at 2:30 pm on Monday, which took the statewide death toll from such incidents to 60 since June 1.

    “The seven deaths in the last 24 hours comprised two in Mandla, and one each in Ashok Nagar, Datia, Guna, Narsinghpur and Narmadapurman,” the official added.

    IMD data showed Pachmarhi, the state’s lone hill station, received 103.2 mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period ending 8:30 AM on Monday.

    It also showed that Raisen, Betul, Narmadapuram, Jabalpur, Chhindwara, Bhopal, Gwalior and Indore received 86.4 mm, 72.6 mm, 70.4 mm, 55.0 mm, 55.0 mm, 46.4 mm, 21.9 mm and 17.2 mm rainfall, respectively, during this period.

    In Maharashtra, three persons were missing in Gadchiroli district after heavy rains.

    Heavy showers continued to lash Nashik district, causing a rise in water levels of several rivers and submerging many temples located on the bed of the Godavari river.

    The IMD has issued a ‘red’ alert for Nashik district till July 14, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours.

    Pune district, too, has been witnessing heavy rains since the last few days.

    In Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra, three persons were swept away in overflowing nullahs in the last three days and their bodies were fished out later, said a release issued by the District Information Office (DIO).

    In Gadchiroli, as many as 353 people from 129 places affected by heavy rains have been shifted to safer places, it said.

    In the last 24 hours, Surgana in Nashik district received the highest rainfall at 238.8 mm, followed by Peth at 187.6 mm and Trimbakeshwar at 168 mm, an official said.

    Light to moderate rains also lashed Mumbai and its neighbouring areas on Monday, but there was no report of water-logging anywhere in the metropolis, civic officials said.

    The IMD has predicted moderate rainfall in the city and its suburbs over the next 24 hours, with a possibility of heavy showers at isolated places, they said.

    A landslide occurred on a road leading to the famous Bhimashankar temple in Pune district in the early hours of Monday following heavy rains, officials said.

    Meanwhile, an official bulletin on Monday said over 3.79 lakh people are still reeling under floods across 10 districts of Assam, which was battered by heavy spells of rain last month.

    According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), no death due to drowning was reported during the day, with the toll in this year’s flood and landslides standing at 192.

    Amid heavy rains in its catchment areas, water will be discharged from the Khadakwasla dam in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Monday night, an irrigation department official said.

    He said the collective water storage in four dams – Panshet, Warasgaon, Tembhar and Khadakwasla, that provide water to Pune city, stood at over 9 TMC (32.48) per cent.

    “Owing to heavy rains in catchment areas of the Khadakwasla dam, the water level is over 75 per cent till Monday evening. With the water level rising, water will be released at 1,000 Cusecs (one cubic foot per second) in the Mutha river at 11.30 pm on Monday,” the official said.

    Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department predicted overcast conditions for the Pune area on Tuesday and Wednesday with moderate to isolated heavy rains and very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the ghat areas.

    “With cloud covering Pune district and Pune city, the monsoon will be vigorous and will continue till July 14. Water logging and inundation may take place in low-lying areas,” said an IMD official.

    Meanwhile, at least 16 incidents of trees falling and uprooting were reported in Pune city, Fire Brigade officials said.

    A portion of an old wada (big house with many rooms) collapsed in the Somwar Peth area, but no one was injured in the incident.

    As many as 83 people have died in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra between June 1 and July 10, the state disaster management authority said in a report on Monday.

    The report said 164 animals, too, have perished during the same period in rain-related incidents.

    Nashik district in North Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of deaths at 12 followed by Nagpur (four).

    These deaths were caused by incidents like floods, lightning strikes, landslides, falling of trees and collapse of structures, among others, it said.

    Chandrapur, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Hingoli, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Raigad, Thane and Mumbai did not record any fatality since the beginning of the monsoon last month, the report said.

    Several parts of the state, including Mumbai and its adjoining areas, witnessed heavy rainfall between June 1 and July 10.

    Heavy rains continued to lash Nashik district on Monday, causing a rise in water levels of several rivers and submerging many temples located on the bed of the Godavari river, officials said.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red’ alert for Nashik district till July 14, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours.

    Pune and Gadchiroli districts, too, have been witnessing downpour rains since the last few days.

    After four straight days of downpour last week, Mumbai has been witnessing light to moderate rainfall.

  • Maharashtra rains: Two washed away in flood waters in Bhiwandi; Hingoli villagers shifted to safer locations

    By PTI

    THANE: Two men were washed away in the rain-swollen water bodies in separate incidents that occurred in Bhiwandi taluka of Maharashtra’s Thane district, officials said on Saturday.

    The first incident took place on Thursday night, when 35-year-old Pintya Pandarinath Jadhav, a resident of Padgha in the taluka, had gone for fishing near a flooded steam.

    During the activity, he fell into the water and got washed away, a fire brigade official said.

    A search was carried for him, but he could not be traced, he said.

    In another incident, 19-year-old Asif Ansari, who had gone to swim in Kamvari river on Friday, got washed away.

    Despite efforts, he could not be found so far, another official said.

    Residents of two villages in Hingoli district of Maharashtra are being shifted to safety after heavy rainfall in the region caused flooding in Asana river, officials said on Saturday.

    So far, at least 200 people have been evacuated, a top district official said.

    Parts of Hingoli district, located in Marathwada region of the state and around 200 kms from here, have been getting heavy showers over the past couple of days.

    “Due to the downpour, Asana river in the district flooded on Friday night. The low-lying areas in Kurunda and Kinhola villages in Vasmat tehsil were badly affected,” he told PTI.

    Although the water level is slowly decreasing now, the administration has been shifting the residents of these villages to a Zilla Parishad school nearby, district collector Jitendra Papalkar said.

    No loss of human life has been reported so far and the situation is being monitored, he said.

    In the 24-hour period ending 8 am on Friday, Hingoli district recorded 230.70 mm rainfall, which is 26.84 per cent of its annual average rainfall, the district authorities said in a statement.

  • Maharashtra: 12 hamlets cut off after bridge gets flooded due to heavy rains in Palghar; IMD ‘red’ alert for three districts in western parts

    By PTI

    THANE/PALGHAR: At least 12 hamlets were cut off after a bridge got flooded due to heavy rains and flooding in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, an official said on Wednesday.

    According to authorities, Pandartara bridge, which connects Usgaon in Vasai taluka, was inundated and submerged because of incessant rainfall in the region.

    At least 12 hamlets in the region are cut off and the situation will remain so for a couple of days till the water recedes, they said.

    Rain-related incidents were also reported in the neighbouring Thane district.

    A 73-year-old woman was injured when a slab of a protection wall on the third floor of ESIS hospital collapsed around 1 pm in Wagle Estate area of Thane city, said Avinash Sawant, the chief of the RDMC said.

    The rest of the wall at the hospital was in a precarious state and the hospital itself was in a dangerous condition, he said.

    Local firemen and a team of the RDMC rushed to the scene to provide assistance.

    Civic officials were examining the building, he said.

    In another incident, boulders crashed on the Mumbra bypass road at around 1 pm, and rescue teams were busy clearing the scene, the official said, adding that no one was injured in the incident the official said.

    The Met department has issued a red alert indicating heavy to extremely heavy rains for Pune, Satara and Kolhapur districts in western Maharashtra over the next three days even as the Panchganga river level in Kolhapur rose and is seven feet short of the warning mark as of Wednesday night, officials said.

    They fear that if the rain continues overnight, the water level of the Panchganga and other rives will reach the warning mark (39 feet) by Thursday morning.

    Two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have already been stationed in flood-prone Shirol tehsil and Kolhapur city.

    Satara and Kolhapur districts are experiencing heavy rainfall, prompting the district administration in Kolhapur to take preemptive measures to tackle any flood situation in the district, which was battered by floods in 2019 and 2021.

    Due to heavy rains, the water level of the Panchganga river at the Rajaram weir in Kolhapur reached 32 feet at 8 pm on Wednesday, seven feet below the waning mark and 11 feet below the danger threshold.

    The red alert is valid from July 6 to 8 for the Satara district and from July 7 to 9 for the Kolhapur district.

    “During this period, the respective regions will witness extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in ghat areas.

    For Pune, a red alert has been issued for July 7 and July 8,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.

    According to the district officials, if rains continue to lash the Kolhapur district, the water level of Panchganga, Doodhganga, Warna, Hiranyakeshi, Ghatprabha and Vedganga rivers will reach the warning level by July 7 morning.

    The administration has cautioned the citizens to follow the instructions given by authorities.

    Pravin Darade, the guardian secretary of the Kolhapur district, has directed officials to coordinate with the Karnataka government over the issue of the discharge of water from the Almatti dam to avoid any flood-like situation.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke to Kolhapur district collector Rahul Rekhawar in view of the IMD’s warning, officials said.

    Meanwhile, a total of 14 families from Gutke village in Mulshi tehsil of Pune district were shifted to temporary residential structures as a precautionary measure considering the possibility of landslides, a senior district official said.

    Pune Zilla Parishad (ZP) CEO Ayush Prasad visited the village and supervised the shifting of persons and cattle.

    “Total 14 families of Gutke Village in Mulshi Taluka were shifted to temporary residential structures built on an open ground as a precautionary measure for landslides,” he said.

    Last year, it was brought to the notice of the district administration that the land immediately above the habitation had a one-foot slip, Prasad said.

    “Last year, geologists had rushed to the area. During the study, it was found that there was a landslip. Since it was risky, the residents were shifted to safety,” he added.

    A landslide occurred on a road leading to the Pratapgad fort in western Maharashtra’s Satara district following heavy rains.

    There was no report of any casualty, Public Works Department’s executive engineer, Sanjay Sonawane, said earlier in the day.

  • Unseasonal rain in parts of Maharashtra

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Parts of western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathawada regions on Saturday received light showers.

    Most of the weather stations recorded the rainfall in a single digit, an IMD official said.

    The climatic conditions, which include cloudy weather, has contributed to the unseasonal showers, as per the India Meteorological Department.

    The weather department had earlier predicted cloudy skies in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur and Osmanabad districts.

    The revised forecast predicted these districts receiving showers.

    Some districts, including parts of Ratnagiri, received showers.

    Among the other regions, Aurangabad and Jalgaon districts also received light showers, the IMD official said.

    The unseasonal rain will have a direct impact on the flowering of mangoes, summer onion crop which is generally harvested and supplied to wholesale markets, and grape plants, the official added.

  • Maharashtra’s water-starved Marathwada region records excess rainfall

    By PTI

    AURANGABAD: Marathwada, which is considered a drought-prone region in Maharashtra, has received 1,041.5 mm rainfall during the monsoon season this year as against its average of 679.5 mm, while parts of it continue to get pounded by heavy rains, an official said on Saturday.

    The region has received 153.27 per cent rainfall so far, he said.

    Officials have earlier said that at least 91 people have died, while over 25 lakh hectares of farmland were destroyed due to excess rainfall in Marathwada in the last four months.

    Marathwada comprises eight districts – Aurangabad, Latur, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Nanded, Beed, Jalna and Hingoli.

    “Isolated parts of four districts in Marathwada received heavy rainfall between Friday and Saturday. The highest rainfall of 107. 25 mm was recorded at Vihamandwa circle of Paithan tehsil in Aurangabad district in 24 hours ending 12 pm on Saturday,” the revenue department official said.

    The official said that above-65 mm rainfall was recorded in 12 circles in Aurangabad, Beed, Jalna and Parbhani districts starting Friday.

    Apart from Vihamandwa, heavy rains lashed Aurangabad, Balanagar (Aurangabad district), Ramnagar, Jamkhed, Talani (Jalna district), Beed circle and Sirsala (Beed district).

    In Parbhani, Takli-Kumbhakarna, Kupta and Sonpeth received showers.

    Water-logging and flooding occurred in Naregaon area of Aurangabad due to heavy rains, he added. The water level of Jayakwadi dam, the biggest in the region, reached 99.06 per cent on Saturday morning.

    Eighteen gates of the dam were lifted to a height of 1.5 feet and the water discharge has been increased by 9,432 cusec with a total discharge of 28,296 into Godavari river, an irrigation official said.

    Aurangabad guardian minister Subhash Desai on Friday took stock of the rain situation in the district via video-conferencing.

    Talking about the review meeting, collector Sunil Chavan later said in a video message, “63,000 farmers in the district have faced losses due to heavy rains in the last week of September. Fourteen deaths were reported (in the district) since June 1 in rain-related incidents. Aid of Rs four lakh each has been provided to the kin of the seven victims so far.”

  • Maha: Over 7 lakh farmers call insurance firms to inform about crop damages due to excessive rain

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: More than seven lakh farmers in Maharashtra have called up insurance companies during the current monsoon season to inform about crop damage due to excessive rainfall, officials said.

    Representatives of crop insurance companies need to personally visit the farms and assess the damages, and based on their report, the farmers will get the insurance amount, they said.

    “A total of 2,56,985 were received till August 1 from farmers across Maharashtra intimating about extremely heavy rains that led to damage of crops. The number of such calls increased to 4,15,747 by September 1 and reached 5,53,491 on September 9. In last two days, the number of such calls reached over seven lakh,” state agricultural commissionerate’s chief statistical officer Vinaykumar Awate said.

    The figures could increase further as the data of calls made during the weekend will be updated in the system on Monday, the official said.

    Besides crop damage, the farmers also informed about washing away of their farm soil, damages caused to cattle sheds and other issues, he said.

    The number of such calls from farmers jumped drastically after heavy rains lashed the state’s Marathwada region last week, he said.

    To a query, the official said, “We held a meeting with officials of the Union government last week and discussed the issue. The central government has increased its technical support to help us accept more number of such calls in the wake of the excessive downpour in the Marathwada region and north Maharashtra.”

    He said earlier, there were glitches in the system as the rise in the number of such calls from farmers would clog the phone lines or servers would be down.

    “But, with the help of the Union government, we have managed to address these issues. Apart from phone calls, other options are also available which farmers can use to register their names with the insurance companies for damage survey,” he added.

    Since the introduction of the crop insurance scheme for farmers, it is necessary for the insurers to record every such call from cultivators.

    Farmers can call up a number given by the insurance company, send an e-mail or call up the local revenue officer to inform about the crop damage.

    They can also inform their local bank branch, which further updates about their intimation call on the common portal to the state agriculture department.

    The call has to be made within 72 hours of the crop damage faced by a farmer.

    An app is also available for farmers to inform about crop damage, officials said.