1 dies, over 100 rescued in rain-hit Palghar; CM reviews situation in flood-ravaged Marathwada

Mumbai, Sep 29 (PTI) One person was killed, while more than 100 people were moved to safer places as heavy rains lashed Palghar district in Maharashtra overnight, inundating villages, damaging houses and roads, officials said on Monday.

Separately, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the situation in the Marathwada region, where heavy rains and floods last week caused extensive damage to property and farmland.

A 55-year-old man, Sadanand Devoo Bhurbhura, was swept away in floodwaters in Dahanu taluka of Palghar district on Sunday night. The body of Bhurbhura, a resident of Raipur-Gimbalpada, was recovered in the morning at Kalamdevi, said Vivekanand Kadam, chief of the district disaster management cell.

Heavy rains washed away a road between Vankas Ambewadi and Savne in Dahanu, halting vehicular traffic, while the Sevge Chavadpada-Kotharpada Road was severely damaged, forcing authorities to shut it and provide an alternate route.

In Jawhar taluka, a key bridge connecting Wavar and Vangani was washed away, cutting off traffic movement.

Police and revenue department officials shifted 50 villagers from Pimpalshet after they were stranded in rising waters, and in Wada taluka, 25 people were moved to a zilla parishad school. In Talasari taluka, 36 residents of Ozarpada village, marooned on Sunday night, were rescued, an official said.

According to an initial assessment, around 50 houses have been damaged in the district located adjoining Mumbai.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a ‘red alert’, forecasting extremely heavy rains, for Palghar district.

Chief Minister Fadnavis, at a review meeting, directed the administration in Nanded in Marathwada to keep all disaster management systems on alert amid water discharge from the Jayakwadi Dam.

The authorities on Sunday said 10 people had died in rain-related incidents across Maharashtra in 24 hours, and more than 11,800 were rescued from different parts of the state.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), water discharge from the Jayakwadi Dam in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district currently stands at 1.88 lakh cusecs, with no further increase as rains have subsided.

As many as 29,400 cusecs of water are being released from Yeldari Dam in Parbhani district in Marathwada, and the situation remains under control, the CMO said, adding water levels in the Manjara and Terna Rivers in the region have also started receding.

A total of 104 persons have died in monsoon-related incidents since June 1 in Marathwada, which consists of eight districts, officials said.

Excess rainfall has impacted 3050 villages in the region, which comprises Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Parbhani, Nanded, Dharashiv, Hingoli, Latur and Beed districts, causing crop damage and losses to farmers, as per a report from the divisional commissioner office.

"Of the 104 deaths recorded in Marathwada between June 1 and September 29, seven took place in floods since September 26. A total of 2,838 animals have perished since June 1," the report stated.

Nanded led with deaths of 28 persons, followed by 17 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 16 in Beed, 13 in Hingoli, nine each in Jalna and Dharashiv, and six each in Parbhani and Latur, the report informed.

"Roads of length 2,701 km, 1,504 bridges, 222 water lakes, 1,064 schools, 9,567 electricity poles, 58 buildings of local governing offices, 392 water pipeline schemes, 352 primary health centres are partially or fully damaged in the recent floods (in Marathwada)," it said.

Repairs of these structures would cost Rs 2432.53 crore, according to the report.

Floodwaters are receding in the central Maharashtra region, but alert is being maintained for people residing in low-lying areas, Divisional Commissioner Jitendra Papalkar said.

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule indicated that farmers affected by excess rainfall and floods in the state could receive compensation before Diwali.

"The real picture of damage caused by the floods would be available by October 5. We will try to give financial assistance to farmers before the Diwali season (mid-Oct). There are enough administrative provisions to provide aid to farmers," Bawankule told reporters in Mumbai.

The minister said compensation under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms would not be sufficient as farmers have sought higher assistance.

"All district guardian ministers should hold meetings with collectors and ensure revenue officials conduct thorough surveys in flood-hit areas," he pointed out.

Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar demanded that a special session of the state legislature be convened to discuss the flood situation and damage caused by heavy rains.

Wadettiwar wrote a letter to Governor Acharya Devvrat, drawing his attention to the grim situation prevailing in several parts of Marathwada, Vidarbha and western Maharashtra due to unprecedented rainfall and flooding.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, in a post on X, accused the Centre of ignoring Maharashtra when it has been hit by one of the worst possible extreme weather cases for monsoons.

"It's farmers' misfortune that we don't have elections now in Maharashtra. Otherwise, the BJP governments at the Union and state levels would have been spending all out to help farmers," he said.

In view of rains and floods in Marathwada, Nashik, Solapur, and Ahilyanagar districts, the State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has extended the deadline for filling forms for Class 12 exams to October 20 from earlier September 30. PTI PR COR MR ND AW ARU NSK GK BNM RSY