40-year-old man swept away by water released from Vaitarna dam

A man was swept away by sudden dam water release in Thane while crossing a bridge with his daughter, who was rescued. Search efforts continue.

THANE: A 40-year-old man was swept away by the sudden release of water from a dam on the Vaitarna river when he was crossing a bridge in Shahapur with his daughter on Saturday. The daughter was rescued by people on the riverbank, but the man remains missing.

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The man was identified as Bhaskar Padeer and the incident occurred while he was on the way to a local market with his daughter to buy items for the Ganpati festival. A police officer said that the swift water soon flooded the bridge they were on, and the current swept them away, but quick response from people on the bank saved the girl.

The dam, built to supply water to Mumbai, is situated in the Mokhada taluka of Palghar district and extends into the Shahapur taluka of Thane district. Over the past three years, at least 10 people have been swept away by the sudden release of water from the dam or have drowned in the water flow.

A police officer said that a NDRF team was called for rescue operation, but so far, the man remains missing. “We will continue the search on Tuesday.”

Hanumant Padeer, deputy sarpanch of the nearby Savarde village, who is related to the missing man, however, said that the latter was swept away not from the bridge but while he was in the river. “He was aware of possible discharge of water that day and, hence, he was crossing the river with a stick and was carrying his daughter on his shoulder. He crossed half the distance on the iron part of the bridge, but the remaining 20 feet required him to step into the river, and while crossing that part, he was swept away.”

He is one among many who have been swept away by the rushing waters of the dam. In the last three years, 10 people have drowned due to sudden release of water from the dam without prior notice. “This lack of warning has resulted in locals being swept away by the river’s strong currents. Villages such as Dapur and Sawarkhult in Shahapur taluka, Sawarde village, and several tribal hamlets rely on this route for access to schools and hospitals,” said the police officer.

Initially, wooden planks were used to cross the river but after media coverage, a metal bridge was constructed two years ago. However, during the monsoon season or whenever there is sudden release of water from the dam, this bridge, too, gets submerged, causing difficulties for the people in the hamlets located along the Vaitarna river. Adding to their woes is the failure of the authorities concerned to notify about any discharge of dam water well in advance.

The villagers have no alternative but to take the risk of crossing the river to travel to Shahapur, Khardi, or Kasara for essential services, with the bridge also being the only way to reach the nearest Khardi hospital and Shiroli Ashram School in Shahapur.