Heavy rains lash parts of state for 6th consecutive day
Mumbai, Aug. 21 -- Heavy rainfall continued for the sixth consecutive day on Wednesday in various parts of Marathwada, Western Maharashtra and Konkan region, resulting in the evacuation of over 4,600 people from vulnerable areas, closure of state and district highways and pleas for help from neighbouring states for increased controlled discharge of water from dams.
The 4,600 people who were evacuated were from nine districts- Nanded, Mumbai suburban , Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Satara, Pune and Sangli. They reside on the banks of various rivers, near dams and landslide-prone areas. The largest evacuation was carried out in Raigad with 1,332 people, followed by Thane with 610 people and 293 people in Nanded.
The state government has requested the Karnataka government to increase the water discharge from the Koyna dam from 2 lakh cusecs to 2.50 lakh cusecs per day to reduce the swelling of water in the Krishna river and avoid any risks to the nearby villages. "The district administrations of Nanded, Sangli and Kolhapur are in constant communication with the Karnataka and Telangana governments for the management of the discharge of the waters from the dams. 471 people were rescued from the flooded areas in the last two days and warnings for heavy rainfall and floods have been issued to villages," said an official from the disaster management cell.
In Kolhapur, as many as eight state highways, 34 district highways and 44 other smaller roads were shut for traffic on Tuesday and Wednesday. Key district barrages, including Rajaram and Rui, had crossed their warning level, forcing the administration to shift 281 people from 96 families from the surrounding villages to safer places, according to the district administration.
The Sangli district administration has warned the villages on the banks of the Krishna, Koyna and Warna rivers to be alert in the wake of the rising water levels. "The height of the water is expected to soon reach 42 to 43 feet, from 38.6 feet on last Wednesday and villagers have been asked to take precautionary measures," the district administration said. The administration has prohibited gatherings of five or more people in the jurisdiction of 13 police stations in Sangli. It has also set up five temporary shelters for the relocation of vulnerable people.
According to the preliminary estimates, crops over 805,000 hectares in 187 talukas in 19 districts across the state have been damaged due to the heavy rainfall in the last two weeks. Nanded, known for crops such as soybean, maize, cotton and pulses, is the worst-hit district of Marathwada with over 285,000 hectares of crops damaged due to heavy rains.
Agriculture minister Dattatrey Bharne said that the district collectors have been asked to conduct crop-loss assessment at the earliest and he had visited farmers in Nanded and Washim on Wednesday, assuring that every farmer will be compensated for their losses....
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