Rains ebb in western Maha; authorities gear up to prevent water-borne illnesses

After widespread damage and floods, the rain intensity has reduced in western Maharashtra, leading to a dip in the water level of the major rivers which were earlier flowing above the danger mark in Kolhapur and Sangli, and the authorities are now taking steps to prevent water-borne diseases.

The losses due to the rain-fury in Kolhapur are estimated to be around Rs 399 crore and the process of assessment of damages is still underway, officials said on Wednesday.

The water level of the Panchganga river in Kolhapur has come down under the danger level. Around 8 pm, it was flowing at 42.9 feet at the Rajaram weir as against the danger mark of 43 feet, the district administration said. The Panchganga river had been flowing above the danger mark at least since the last five days.

So far, 35,685 families (1,56709 people) have been shifted to safer places in Kolhapur, they said. In neighbouring Sangli district, heavy discharge of water from the Koyna dam in Satara district had resulted in Sangli city and several villages getting flooded. The dam is built on the Koyna river, a tributary of the Krishna river.

The water level of the Krishna river in Sangli has come below the danger mark at the Irvin bridge.

On Wednesday morning, the river was flowing at 44.10 feet against the danger mark of 45 feet, district officials said.

Since the water level is receding after floods, there is now a threat of an outbreak of water-borne diseases.

Sangli Collector Abhijit Chaudhari has instructed the district administration to take necessary steps, organise medical camps and distribute the required medicines to avoid the spread of such diseases, an official release said.

He also asked officials to conduct an assessment of losses of essential items in households damaged due to the flood waters.

The state government on Tuesday said heavy rains and floods since the last week claimed 45 lives in Satara and seven in Kolhapur. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis visited Patan tehsil in Satara district, where at least 24 people died in separate landslide incidents in Ambeghar, Mirgaon, Dhokawale, and Kahir villages.

Talking to reporters, he underlined the need to permanently rehabilitate all the people residing in the villages affected by the landslides.

''Since the farmlands of these people have been affected in the landslides, there is a need to restore their farms also. At the same time, there is a need to rehabilitate all the people by way of building new houses for them at new locations of their choice,'' he said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly also said that the state government needs to think about the lone survivors, who have lost their family members in these tragedies.