Tribune News Service
Mumbai, August 4
The Maharashtra Government sought the help of the Army, Navy and the Air Force to rescue people marooned in various parts of the state following heavy rains.
An Mi-17 helicopter was deployed to rescue 35 persons stranded at the Ju-Nandkhuri village at Khadavli in Thane district neighbouring Mumbai. State police control room said with water levels rising in the village, the people had to be airlifted this morning. All of them were brought to the Juhu air field at Mumbai from where the chopper had taken off earlier in the day.
Officials said all major rivers in and around Mumbai and coastal Konkan were in spate and water was being released from overflowing dams.
In Mumbai, personnel from the Indian Navy and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed inflatable boats to rescue people from low-lying areas. “We have rescued people from Bandra and Kurla in Mumbai as the Mithi River has breached its banks,” an official from the city police control room said. In all some 400 people had to be moved to safety by boats, according to the officials.
With the levels of the Ulhas River rising, residents of Thane, Kalyan and Badlapur have been moved to higher areas, according to the officials. Several parts of Pune were flooded after water from the overflowing Kadakvasla dam was released this morning. In Nashik, the authorities began evacuating people as the Godavari River showed signs of breaching its banks.
Train services on the Central Railways were hit for the second day today as the railway tracks were flooded. However, being Sunday the impact was little. In Mumbai’s suburb of Kandivli residents made rafts of plywood to transport essential items like bottled water and biscuits to people stranded in their flooded homes.
According to the weather department, heavy rains were reported in Mumbai,Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri since Friday with large areas in these places being severely flooded. Flights operating out of Mumbai airport were delayed by a few minutes, according to the officials.
District officials have declared a holiday on Monday in many places as the weather department warned of continued heavy rains. Schools have been ordered closed in Pune, Palghar and Thane districts, the officials said.
Wreaking havoc
- Inflatable boats being used to rescue people from low-lying areas
- Central Railways hit for the second day as the railway tracks were flooded
- District officials have declared a holiday on Monday amid warnings of continued heavy rains