1.32 lakh evacuated in western Maharashtra, water, power situation grim in Kolhapur

Kolhapur: As many as 51,785 people stranded in their houses and other places due to the surging waters of the Panchaganga and other rivers in Kolhapur were evacuated to safe shelters on Wednesday, the second day of flooding in the district. The Panchganga river was flowing slightly higher at 55.4 feet on Wednesday evening than the 54 feet on Tuesday.

In all, 1.32 lakh people stranded in the flood-hit districts of western Maharashtra have been moved to safer places till Wednesday, after the monsoon mayhem began on August 5.The NDRF has deployed seven teams in Kolhapur and Sangli districts while the Army has roped in two infantry columns and four engineering task forces. The navy on Wednesday sent four more teams to Sangli and Kolhapur.
Kolhapur Municipal Corporation officials said water supply was still shut and tankers were being sent to hospitals and other establishments with essential services. Power supply to many parts of the city has been disconnected. Schools and colleges will remain closed in Kolhapur till August 9.
Parts of national highway (NH4) connecting Mumbai and Bengaluru via Kolhapur remained submerged under flood waters for the second day running on Wednesday, making it out of bounds for traffic. The road is likely to be closed for an indefinite period of time.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday held a meeting via videoconferencing with the collectors of flood-affected districts — Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Ratnagiri, Palghar, Raigad, Sindhudurg and Nashik — asking them to take immediate relief measures for the people. He said 22 NDRF teams were involved in rescue operations in Kolhapur district.
Over 1L people evacuated in western Maharashtra
The rains took a brief break in Kolhapur on Wednesday morning, helping speed up rescue work across the city and district. Two helicopters of the navy and a helicopter of the coast guard from Goa landed at Kolhapur airport on Wednesday morning to join the operations.
The water discharge from the Radhanagari dam was reduced to 7,400 cusecs from one emergency gate. The seven automated gates, which were releasing water at full throttle for the past 48 hours, were shut on Wednesday.
Samrat Kerkar, a resident of the Radhanagari area, said the rains this year have broken all records and local life has been severely hit. “Our area which is known for monsoon tourism has been badly hit by the downpour. Many tourists and passenger buses are stuck here due to the rains,” he said.
Kolhapur district collector Daulat Desai said a team of the navy, army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) completed rescue operations at Chikhali and Ambewadi areas, which are in the 10-20 km radius of Kolhapur city. The teams also completed rescue operations at Prayag Chikhali, 5km from here, where the Kumbhi Kasari, Bhagawati and Tulshi rivers meet.
“As many as 57 boats were used in the massive evacuation across the district on Wednesday. The situation is under control and there is no need to panic. There are over 300 skilled persons assisting in the rescue,” Desai said.
Desai said two more army units and more boats are likely to join the rescue work on Thursday. The rehabilitation from the Chikhali and Ambewadi areas is expected to be completed by Thursday afternoon. These teams will then be transferred to other places.
The flood situation in Sangli, around 50km from here, continues to be critical. The Krishna river is flowing above the 45ft danger mark at Irwin bridge. As many as 7,752 people and 443 livestock were shifted to safer places in Sangli city, mainly to municipal corporation schools.
Sangli district collector Abhijit Chowdhari said the district received 418mm rainfall in the first week of August. The Sangli administration said more than 10,000 families have been rescued and the water level is expected to come down with a reduction in the discharge from the Koyna dam. NDRF teams have started rescue operations in Islampur, Walva, Miraj and Palus talukas of Sangli district.
The flooding in Sangli continued despite the water discharge through Karnataka’s Almatti dam touching 4 lakh cusecs, the highest since 2005. The flood waters of the Krishna have entered several low-lying areas of Karad town in Satara district, where the two major rivers, Krishna and Koyna, meet.