765 residents evacuated in Kolhapur district as Panchganga river rises to warning level

PUNE: Water levels of the Panchaganga river in Kolhapur are on the rise following incessant heavy rain in the district.At 6pm on Sunday, the Panchganga was flowing

PUNE: Water levels of the Panchaganga river in Kolhapur are on the rise following incessant heavy rain in the district.At 6pm on Sunday, the Panchganga was flowing at a level of 39 feet, the warning level, with 71 bunds under water. The danger level of the river is 43 feet.

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The district administration has evacuated 375 people in multiple villages of Shirol taluka; and 390 people in Prayag Chikhli, Karveer taluka of Kolhapur as a precautionary measure.

Post the floods of August 5-10, district authorities are on high alert and ready with response teams already in place.

The Kolhapur irrigation department recorded a level of 38.5 feet at 10am on Sunday morning at the Rajaram weir, the reference point used for gauging the level of the Panchganga river. By 3pm, the water had risen to 38.10 feet. At 6pm it hit 39 feet.

Between September 5 and September 8 the Gaganbawda region has recieved 490 mm of rainfall, the highest in the district.

In addition to two national disaster response force (NDRF) teams, the district administration has 15 boats and 700 volunteers at the ready to rescue villagers in case of a flood.

“There are two NDRF teams on alert in Kolhapur. We are monitoring the situation closely,” said a spokesperson of the NDRF, requesting anonymity.

As of 6pm Sunday, the irrigation department announced the release of 7,112 cusecs of water from the Radhanagari dam; 69,739 cusecs from the Koyna dam; and 2,30,000 cusecs from the Almatti dam. Water release from these dams directly affects river levels in and around Kolhapur.

The western part of Kolhapur district has been recieving incessant rainfall for the past three days. The rainfall is adding to the flow of the Panchaganga river which flows through the middle of district eventually merging into Krishna river in Shirol taluka. The Krishna river then flows into Karnataka where Almatti dam is located. If the Karnataka dam authorities do not release excess water from Almatti dam, it leads to swelling in the dam’s backwater which in turn leads to flooding in parts of Kolhapur and Sangli.

Floods between August 5-10, due to the Panchganga overflowing on the back of heavy rainfall in the region left 13 people dead, displacing 4,09,589 residents in the Kolhaour district.

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State highways, district roads shut

As of September 6 the following roads have been shut down by the district authority.

- 30 metre stretch of state highway in Chandgadh taluka that runs through Kolhapur city,

- Roads in Parite, Gargoti, Gadhinglaj and Kodali Bhesdi areas;

- Bridge in Ichalkranaji taluka, that is part of state highway number 192, connecting Panhala, Waghbeel, Ichalkaranji and Shiradwad

- Roads in Karveer taluka that connect multiple villages

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