With Mumbai receiving the highest rainfall of the season in the span of a few hours on Wednesday and Thursday, the Maharashtra government swung into action and deployed 16 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in various parts of the state to brace for more inclement weather.
“Five NDRF teams have been deployed in Mumbai, four in Kolhapur and two in Sangli. The Panchganga is nearing its danger mark in Kolhapur after excessive rain. The local authorities have been put on alert, in case it overflows,” Vijay Wadettiwar, Relief and Rehabilitation minister said on Thursday.
The city recorded 331.08 mm rainfall, followed by 101.9 mm in the eastern suburbs and 76.03 mm in the western suburbs. Mumbai also saw strong winds at a speed of 106 km per hour while in other districts it was 70 to 80 kmph of nearly cyclonic intensity.
Incessant heavy rainfall led to water-logging in several areas, with reports of houses collapsing and trees uprooted coming in from several areas of Mumbai. A section of a road caved in at Peddar Road near Kemps Corner in Mumbai, while a portion of the second floor in a ground plus four building in Dadar West collapsed earlier on Thursday afternoon. However, nobody was hurt. In another incident, a part of a building collapsed in Prabhadevi area of South Mumbai, which also reported several trees being damaged. South Mumbai remained the worst-hit with many localities being inundated.
After very heavy rainfall on Wednesday in Thane and palghar districts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted “generally cloudy sky with heavy rain in Thane throughout Thursday. IMD has also predicted intense rainfall over Mumbai city over the next few hours today.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday evening had appealed to people to stay indoors and venture out only for essential work. The chief minister also directed civic agency– the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to coordinate with the police and railway authorities, health machinery and the NDRF to ensure the safety of the people. He also spoke to the officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
The Maharashtra chief minister has directed Konkan and Pune divisional commissioners to focus on shifting people to safer areas for those living near the rivers, whose water levels were rising due to heavy rainfall, in Kolhapur, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. Thackeray asked the authorities concerned to remain alert since the water level in the Panchganga (Kolhapur), Kodavali (Ratnagiri) and Kundalika (Raigad) rivers were flowing close to the danger mark and there were no signs of the rain abating.
Of the 16 NDRF teams deployed in rain-hit areas of the state, at least four have been sent to Kolhapur.
One person has been killed so far as very heavy rainfall battered Mumbai city. A railway employee was electrocuted when he touched a motor pump in Masjib Bunder while another person suffered injuries when a tree suddenly fell on him in Kurla.
Source: Hindustan Times
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