Toll due to landslides, floods in India rises to 112
An Indian man carries a suitcase on his head as walks along a waterlogged street in Mumbai on July 2, 2019, following heavy monsoon rains. Mumbai was lashed by heavy rains for a second consecutive day, bringing the city to a virtual standstill. (AFP/Indranil Mukherjee). Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.
NEW DELHI, Jul 24, 2021, India Today. Over the last three days, the Pune and Konkan divisions in Maharashtra have witnessed torrential rains that triggered landslides and floods in some areas. The toll from rain-related incidents in the state has risen to 112 while 99 people remain missing as of Saturday evening, according to a state government release, India Today reported.
The state and central governments have announced financial assistance for the kin of the deceased. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force has deployed its teams for rescue efforts in Maharashtra.
Here are all the top developments so far.
112 DEAD, 53 INJURED, 99 MISSING
A total of 112 lives have been lost and at least 53 people have been injured in Maharashtra so far in rain-related incidents. Of the deaths, 52 were reported in Raigad district alone between July 21 and 24.
Ratnagiri district reported 21 deaths due to the rains in the last three days, followed by Satara (13), Thane (12), Kolhapur (7), Mumbai (4), Sindhudurg (2) and Pune (1).
Meanwhile, 99 people remain missing in these areas, including 53 in Raigad, 27 in Satara, 14 in Ratnagiri, three in Thane and one each in Sindhudurg and Kolhapur.
1.35 LAKH PEOPLE EVACUATED
As many as 1,35,313 people have been shifted from flood-affected areas to safer places. This includes 78,111 people to western Maharashtra’s Sangli district and 40,882 to Kolhapur district.
In flood-hit towns such as Chiplun, Khed and Mahad in Konkan, the administration is in the process of restoring water and electricity supply as well as arranging food and medicines for the residents.
“Schools as well as some private properties are being used as shelters as well as primary treatment centres for the injured,” a senior official said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 34 teams for rescue operations in the state’s coastal areas. An NDRF spokesperson said the teams have been deployed in affected areas of Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Satara, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Pune and Nagpur after consultation with the state administration.
The NDRF teams have rescued about 1,800 stranded people and evacuated 87 people to safer places till now. They have, so far, retrieved 52 bodies from landslide sites. Searches for the missing persons are underway.
The NDRF teams have 47 personnel each and they are equipped with life-saving equipment, inflatable boats and tree and pole cutters. A 24×7 NDRF control room in Delhi is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with state authorities.
Apart from the NDRF, local administration teams and the Army are also engaged in rescue and relief work.
Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each victim in rain-related incidents.
Meanwhile, the central government pledged Rs 2 lakh per family that has lost a member in the disaster.
The state government will also distribute ration kits including rice, pulses and kerosene to all those living in affected areas.
MHADA TO REBUILD LANDSLIDE-AFFECTED TALIYE VILLAGE
Maharashtra housing minister Jitendra Awhad on Saturday said the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) would adopt and rebuild Taliye village in Raigad district. He said MHADA will redevelop the devastated area into a model village with well-built homes, school, hospital and places of worship.
On Thursday, a devastating landslide had struck the village in Raigad district. As many as 41 bodies have been recovered so far and several others are still missing, according to officials.
CM THACKERAY VISITS TALIYE VILLAGE
On Saturday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited Taliye village in Raigad district.
He said that villagers would be fully compensated and rehabilitated by the government. “You will be taken care of. Don’t worry,” Thackeray told the villagers during his visit.
Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said, “”People living on hill slopes and hilly areas would be shifted and relocated. A plan would be made to permanently shift small settlements from such places.”
“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.
TOLL IN SATARA DISTRICT CLIMBS TO 22
At least 22 people have died so far in rain-related incidents and the three landslides that occurred in Satara district of Maharashtra. Twenty others are missing.
As many as 379 villages in this district in western Maharashtra were affected due to heavy rains. Over 5,000 people have been shifted to safer places.
Three teams of NDRF are currently deployed in the district. The district administration has demanded the deployment of more teams.
IAF PROVIDES ASSISTANCE
On Saturday, the Indian Air Force airlifted 10T load and 100 personnel from Kolkata to Pune, and 20T load along with 92 NDRF personnel from Vadodara to Kohlapur using its aircraft for relief efforts.
Additionally, two Mi-17 helicopters were utilised for aeriel recce of the affected aresa and for de-induction of an NDRF team from Ratnagiri to Mumbai.
Another Mi-17 was utilised for survey of the affected areas by the chief minister, chief secretary and other officials. The IAF also ensured that additional aircraft were available for deployment whenever required.
FORECAST FOR SUNDAY
The India Meteorology Department (IMD) on Saturday said that rainfall intensity along the west coast is expected to decrease over the next 24 hours.
Officials said that the Krishna river in Sangli and Panchganga in Kolhapur are flooded, even as the rains have subsided.
The Maharashtra government is coordinating with the neighbouring Karnataka to ensure timely release of water from Almatti dam so as to ease the floods in the Kolhapur district.
(With inputs from Manjeet Singh Negi, Kamlesh Sutar, Jitendra and PTI)
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