Maha: 47 villages cut-off in rain-hit Kolhapur district; 965 families shifted

As many as 47 villages were cut-off in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra after roads leading to them were submerged in water due to heavy rains and 965 families were shifted to safer places, while the Panchganga river hovered near the danger mark, officials said on Thursday.

Two persons, including a woman, were swept away at different places in the district during the downpour, they said.

Amid incessant rainfall in Kolhapur district, the water level of the Panchganga river continued to rise at the Rajaram weir, officials from the district disaster management cell said.

The officials said that at 10 pm on Thursday, the water level of the Panchganga river was 41.2 feet at the Rajaram weir, just short of the danger mark of 43 feet.

According to the district administration, contact of as many as 47 villages in Shahuwadi, Panhala, Gaganbawda, Radhanagari, Ajra, Gadhinglaj, and Chandgad tehsils was cut-off from other parts due to roads leading to them getting submerged in rainwater.

Till 8 pm, a total of 965 families from various rain-affected areas were taken to safer places, the officials said.

''At least 650 families from Chikhali village under Karvir tehsil were taken to safer places along with 960 cattle,'' they said.

In Chandgad tehsil's Kadlage village, a person identified as Abhishek Patil was washed away while crossing a water stream. In Ghulewadi, a 38-year-old woman, Sunita Kangralkar, was swept away while crossing a bridge along with two members of her family, the officials said.

Local residents managed to save her family members - Saurabh Kangralkar (19) and Kalpana Kangralkar (50), they said.

At least 10 state highways, 29 district highways and 18 rural roads were closed for traffic due to flooding at various stretches, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the administration said two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have reached the district to assist it in rescue and relief operations.

''One team has been deployed in Shirol, while the other one has been sent to Karvir tehsil,'' said an official.

The road near Jadhavwadi Nile in Shahuwadi tehsil and one connecting Kolhapur to Ratnagiri in coastal Konkan were closed for vehicular movement as water came onto the pathway, another official said.

As the bund at Khochi Dudhgaon got submerged, the traffic going towards Sangli district from that route was diverted.

“The vehicular traffic was diverted through the alternative routes,” he added.

The catchment areas of several dams in the region witnessed heavy rainfall in the last 48 hours, which led to rise in their water level.

In August 2019, unprecedented rains had wreaked havoc in western Maharashtra, especially in Kolhapur and Sangli districts. PTI SPK NP RSY RSY

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)