Rescuers in Maharashtra on Sunday waded through mud and debris to search for survivors as 100 people remain missing after torrential rain lashed the state, PTI reported.
The state government said the toll from landslides and accidents caused by rain rose to 113. Of these, 52 deaths were reported in Raigad, 21 in Ratnagiri, 13 in Satara, 12 in Thane, seven in Kolhapur, four in Mumbai, and two each in Sindhudurg and Pune. As many as 1,35,313 people have been evacuated from flood-hit areas, it added.
Raigad, Palghar, Thane, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara are among the other worst-hit districts due to heavy rainfall.
“The search operation for those missing has begun since morning,” Satara Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar Bansal told PTI. “Since last [Saturday] evening, there is relief due to less or no rain which will help in speeding up the search operation.”
The National Disaster Response Force has deployed 34 teams for relief and rescue operations in the areas that have been severely hit. In addition to this, rescue teams from the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force have been working to evacuate people.
In Sangli district, the Krishna river at Irwin bridge was flowing at 54.5 feet, as against the danger mark of 45 feet, according to the local administration.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited Chiplun city in Ratnagiri district to take stock of the situation.
“A financial review of the flood damage in the state will be carried out in a couple of days but now the district collectors concerned have been directed to immediately provide food, medicine, clothes and other necessities to the flood victims,” the Chief Minister’s Office said, reported ANI.
Thackeray said the economy was sluggish due to the coronavirus pandemic and sought assistance from the central government for “long-term mitigation measures”.
The chief minister said he will go to western Maharashtra on Monday to assess the extent of damage. “We will provide all assistance,” he said, adding that a separate force like the NDRF will be set up in all districts of the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the flood situation in Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli districts was critical. He added that he will visit Satara on Sunday and Sangli and Kolhapur on Monday, reported ANI.
“Around 1 lakh people from six affected districts have been evacuated,” Pawar said. “Rain has stopped but flooding is being reduced slowly.”
Maharashtra Cabinet minister and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray also said the government will support those hurt by the harsh weather. “The work for all of us is to go beyond politics,” he said.
But some residents of Chiplun reportedly sought immediate relief, and not just promises. Some even told the media that if the local administration had alerted them about the flood in advance, then they could have saved 50% of their belongings.
“We have lost everything in the flood,” a woman said. “For the last three days, no one came to conduct the panchnama [spot inspection]. “Now, with the water level receding, we are clearing the debris from our homes and shops. If the officials come later and find our area clean, will they give us compensation?”
Meanwhile, Union minister Narayan Rane and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis went to Taliye village in Mahad, where a landslide had buried homes. Rane said damaged houses would be rebuilt under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana after taking suggestions from residents.
Forty-seven bodies have been recovered from the site, said SN Pradhan, director general of the NDRF. He added that 23 others are still missing.
On Saturday, the state government had said that Chiplun and Khed towns in Ratnagiri were completely inundated as water was discharged from dams. It also said that the cellphone network has been disrupted in several parts and many areas of the district had no electricity.
Torrential rainfall also caused the worst floods in decades in Goa. The water supply in several areas of Goa, including the capital Panaji, was disrupted and more than 1,000 houses were damaged. In the southern state of Telangana, heavy rain led to flooding in the state capital of Hyderabad and other low-lying areas.
Extreme weather has hit several parts of the world in last few weeks, with flooding in Europe, heavy rainfall in China and heatwaves in North America raising concerns about climate change.
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