Published 09:45 IST, August 10th 2019
Maharashtra floods: 2.85 lakh people evacuated to safety, casualty toll rises to 29 in Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur & Pune
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Friday evening that he sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to ensure that Karnataka discharged enough water from Almatti dam so that floodwaters upstream in Western Maharashtra receded quicker. Modi assured him that he would speak to chief ministers of both the states, Pawar told media sources.
Here are some pictures where Fadnavis can be seen interacting with several families:
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis also reached Kolhapur to take stock of the situation. A CM's relief fund has also been initiated:
The Indian Navy has deployed over 26 teams for assisting the rescue and relief operations. 14 teams in Kolhapur and 12 teams in Sangli. The teams are equipped with 26 boats and over 110 navy personnel are present in the flood-hit areas:
LPG cylinders are being transported by boats since the roads are flooded:
Constant efforts are on to aid people who are affected by the mass deluge in several districts of Maharashtra. In Kolhapur, over 14 teams alone have been summoned in Kolhapur's Shiroli Village:
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra informed that additional 15 teams from Indian Navy from Visakhapatnam are scheduled to reach Kolhapur by afternoon on Saturday to assist in the rescue efforts:
Skymet reports indicate that rainfall is likely to decrease and the situation seems promising. As per reports, weather system in form of depression has weakened in a well-marked low-pressure area and is making a move westwards during the course of last 24 hours. The rain activities have since decreased. Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Friday evening that he sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to ensure that Karnataka discharged enough water from Almatti dam so that floodwaters upstream in Western Maharashtra receded quicker. Modi assured him that he would speak to chief ministers of both the states, Pawar told media sources.
Pawar seeks PM Modi's intervention
Floods have ravaged five districts of western Maharashtra, displacing some 2.85 lakh people. Pawar said he requested Modi over the phone to ensure that Karnataka released five lakh cusec water from Almatti dam on the Krishna river -- the river is in spate in Maharashtra --so that floodwaters receded quickly in Sangli and Kolhapur districts. The dam is situated downstream in Karnataka.
"Karnataka is not releasing 5 lakh cusec water (as demanded by Maharashtra) and therefore the water level in Sangli remains the same," Pawar said.According to Maharashtra officials, the discharge fromAlmatti had increased to 4.5 lakh cusec by Friday evening."I requested Modi to intervene so that the situationin Sangli improves," Pawar added.
The flood-hit region was agriculturally important and so it was crucial that the floodwaters receded fast, the former Union agriculture minister said.
"He (Modi) assured he will speak to both the chief ministers," Pawar said.
Flood ravage parts of Maharashtra
In Western Maharashtra, many places are battling heavy floods and authorities have evacuated over two lakh people. In Sangli's Sangalwadi Village, over 15000 people have been stranded in the village. However, consistent rescue efforts are still on by the NDRF and Army personnel.
The death toll due to Maharashtra floods has risen to 29 in Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, and Pune, whereas, 6 remain missing. On the other hand, 2.85 lakh people have been evacuated to safer places. Thirty-four teams rescue teams are working in flood-hit Kolhapur, while 36 are helping out in Sangli. Now, the Indian Air Force is dropping food packets in flood-hit pockets of Maharashtra.
(With PTI inputs)
Updated 17:27 IST, August 10th 2019