People are being shifted in Maharashtra as major rivers Ratnagiri, Raigad flow above the danger mark in Maharashtra. (IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATION)
Incessant rains have caused major rivers in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts in the Konkan region of Maharashtra to flow above the danger mark. The government machinery is in the process of shifting a number of affected people to safer places, the authorities said on Thursday.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has instructed officials to be on high alert as MET department has predicted very heavy rains for the next 3 days in Konkan region. A red alert has been issued for the same.
Thackeray on Thursday took a review of the situation arising out of the continuous downpour in these two coastal districts, the chief minister’s office (CMO) said.
The Indian Navy has also joined rescue operations in Ratnagiri, Chiplun, and other areas of Konkan. Also, two more teams of NDRF have been mobilised for rescue operations. One team will be deployed in Khed, Ratnagiri and another in Mahad, Raigad from Pune.
Meanwhile, a 54-year-old woman has died due to drowning in a waterlogged street in Ratnagiri. The body has been sent to postmortem.
Major rivers in Ratnagiri district, including Jagbudi, Vashishti, Kodavali, Shastri, Bav are flowing above the danger level. As a result, Khed, Chiplun, Lanja, Rajapur, Sangameshwar towns and nearby areas have been affected and residents are being shifted to safer places, it said.
Similarly, in neighboring Raigad district, rivers including Kundalika, Amba, Savitri, Patalganga, Gadhi, Ulhas rivers are flowing above danger level, the CMO said in the statement.
Also Read: IMD issues red rain alert for 5 Maharashtra districts, 'orange' warning for Mumbai
During the review meeting, Thackeray said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert of heavy rainfall in this region for the next three days.
Thackeray asked the authorities to remain alert and keep monitoring the levels of overflowing rivers and evacuate residents to safer places. He also urged the local residents to take all necessary precautions. The chief minister also took stock of the overflowing rivers in both districts.
Meanwhile, the CMO said that Mahabaleshwar, a popular hill station in Satara district, has received 480 mm rainfall in 24 hours, due to which the water level of Savitri and other rivers was rising.
Earlier in the day, train services on the Konkan Railway route in Ratnagiri district were suspended after a river overflowed following heavy rains in the area, an official said.
