Maharashtra government sounds flood alert in Kolhapur
In view of the incessant rainfall across Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reviewed the preparedness in all districts and asked the administration to be vigilant and provide relief to those affected. Already 16 NDRF teams have been deployed in various districts to assist the district administration in carrying out relief and rehabilitation.
The state government has also sounded a flood alert for Kolhapur district, following heavy rains in the past 48 hours. Kolhapur, which was severely affected due to floods last year, is expected to witness heavy rains. The Panchganga River is flowing above the danger mark. The government has asked the people residing in the low lying areas to shift to safer places.
At the same time, the water level of Krishna River, in which the Panchganga merges at Shirole village, has also started rising.
The Kolhapur District Guardian Minister Satej Patil took stock of the situation and asked the administration to remain alert and prepared for any flood-like situation in the district.
Further, the Kolhapur district collector Daulat Desai urged the people living on the river banks to immediately move to safer places.
Moreover, Thackeray held discussions with the officials from the weather bureau, which had issued red alerts in Mumbai and around. Mumbai received 331.08 mm of rain from 8.30 am on Thursday, while the suburbs received 162.3 mm of rain since Wednesday. At the same time, the wind in the city was at a speed of 106 km per hour, while in other places the wind speed was 70 to 80 km per hour.
Thackeray directed the civic and local authorities to clear the roads by removing the trees fallen due the gusty winds. He hailed the work of NDRF and Railway Police squads for evacuating 290 passengers stranded in suburban trains on Wednesday night.
Thackeray praised the work of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Railway Police team for evacuating 290 passengers stranded in two local trains near Masjid Bunder station in south Mumbai.