Heavy rain lashes Kolhapur: Dist admin, NDRF teams on alert

“At Rajaram Bandhara, the water level on Sunday afternoon was 38.11 feet, which is just about a foot shy of the alert level,” said Sanjay Shinde, Resident District Collector, Kolhapur.

As a precautionery measure, the district administration has started shifting families staying at the edge of the river in Ambegaon village in Karvir taluka. Similarly, three teams of NDRF are on stand by, of which one is located at Karvir and two in Shirol, officials said.

He added that a close watch is being kept on water levels and discharge at Almatti and Koyna dams, which are presently not at a dangerous level.

Last month floods had wrecked havoc in Sangli and Kolhapur districts, where a total of 46 villages had lost road connectivity with floodwaters encircling the residential areas. About 55 people died in five districts of Pune Division, including Pune, Solapur, Satara, Kolhapur and Sangli.

Residents in the worst-affected villages are still trying to pull their lives together after the damages caused by the floods. The civic administration has stepped up its vigilance efforts. Orders have also been issued to the vigilance staff to visit the low-lying areas. Teams of Kolhapur Municipal Corporation’s disaster management department have started surveys and are making appeals to residents to be on the alert.

The teams are also keeping an eye on the Ganesh idol immersion.