Heavy rains lash Thane, Palghar: One dead, several shifted to safer locations

Thane/Palghar, Aug 20 (PTI) Heavy rains affected the normal life in Thane district on Wednesday, cutting off villages, inundating houses, and triggering landslides, officials said.

A man died after falling into a water-filled quarry while an inundated bridge in Kalyan area was closed amid downpours.

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) recorded 186.91 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours ending 8:30 AM on Wednesday.

The neighbouring Palghar district also witnessed heavy overnight showers, flooding low-lying areas and disrupting movement at several locations, they said.

"Due to the rise in the water level of the Bhatsa river, the bridge leading to Ju village (Thane district) has been completely submerged, cutting off the village from the outside world," a district official said.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rescued 42 workers trapped in floodwaters with the help of an excavator on a highway near Raite village.

In Devgaon of Murbad, two persons who had gone to a temple in the early hours of Wednesday remained stuck amid water accumulation due to heavy rain, leading to deployment of drones to deliver food packets. They were rescued using nylon ropes.

At Shivnagar in Bhiwandi taluka, nine persons trapped in a closed company premises were safely rescued.

Landslides were reported at two spots in Shahapur taluka of Thane.

"Boulders crashed near the Fugle tunnel on the Samruddhi Expressway, but fortunately there were no casualties. The debris has been cleared and traffic has resumed. Similarly, boulders fell at Jawhar Phata of Vihigaon and clearance work is still underway," the official said.

Floodwaters also entered residential areas in several places.

Around 200 houses at Manda Sangoda in Kalyan, 100 houses at Wargade Nagar in Titwala, and 400 houses at Reti Bunder in Kalyan were inundated.

"All affected residents have been evacuated to safer places and shifted to transit camps," the official added.

A tree collapsed at a housing society in Wagle Estate area at 3.40 am on Wednesday, leaving the adjoining security wall dangerously unstable, Thane Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said.

"The falling tree had made the security wall of the society dangerous. The tree was cut down and removed, and the security wall was demolished to eliminate the threat. No one was injured at the scene," he stated.

A man, identified as Aditya Singh, died after falling into a water-filled quarry around midnight at Rabale in Navi Mumbai township of Thane district, an official from the disaster control room said.

At Nanivali in Ambede area of Palghar, nearly 5,000 chickens perished after flooding at a farmer's poultry farm, district disaster management CEO and resident deputy collector Subhash Badge said.

Low-lying areas were inundated, and rescue teams, including the NDRF, relocated several residents to safer places and temporary camps, disaster management cell chief Vivekanand Kadam said. PTI COR GK NSK