Heavy rains batter Palghar; one killed, several rescued from flooded villages

Palghar, Sep 29 (PTI) Heavy rains pounded Palghar district in Maharashtra overnight, inundating villages, damaging houses and roads, officials said on Monday.

A 55-year-old man was swept away in floodwaters in Dahanu taluka on Sunday night, and the authorities conducted rescue operations in several parts of the district to shift stranded villagers, they said.

Sadanand Devoo Bhurbhura, a resident of Raipur-Gimbalpada, was swept away in floodwaters, and his body was recovered in the morning at Kalamdevi, said Vivekanand Kadam, chief of the district disaster management cell.

Heavy rains washed away the road between Vankas Ambewadi and Savne in Dahanu, halting vehicular traffic, while the Sevge Chavadpada-Kotharpada Road collapsed, 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 officials shifted 50 villagers from Pimpalshet after they were stranded in rising waters, and in Wada taluka, 25 people were shifted to a zilla parishad school, an official said.

In Talasari taluka, 36 residents of Ozarpada of Wadavli, who were marooned on Sunday night, were rescued, he said.

According to an initial assessment, around 50 houses have been damaged in the district, and officials have begun panchnama surveys, the official said.

Authorities have also sounded caution, as the Vaitarna and Pinjal Rivers are flowing above warning levels, posing a risk of further flooding if the rains continue.

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

Disaster management teams, along with local police and revenue officials, are on high alert. PTI COR ARU