Four killed as torrential rain pounds Nagpur

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who represents Nagpur South-West assembly constituency, has directed the collector, the municipal commissioner, and the city police commissioner to deploy multiple teams for rescuing stranded citizens, people aware of the development said

NAGPUR: Four people died, and several houses collapsed after heavy rain in the early hours of Saturday wreaked havoc in Nagpur city and its neighbouring areas triggering a flood-like situation. The worst affected are those living along the Nag and Pili rivers and the Ambazari lake.

Four killed as torrential rain pounds Nagpur

One woman, identified as Meera Pilley, lost her life in Ehbab Colony while the body of another unidentified woman was washed away at Surendragarh in south Nagpur, officials said.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who represents Nagpur South-West assembly constituency, has directed the collector, the municipal commissioner, and the city police commissioner to deploy multiple teams for rescuing stranded citizens, people aware of the development said.

Following the sudden downpour, the Ambazari lake swelled causing water to overflow onto the nearby road. A retaining wall near a hospital collapsed diverting the floodwaters to residential areas, including Shankar Nagar, Corporation Colony, and Daga Layout, officials from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) said. Residents of Shankar Nagar had to climb onto the rooftops to escape the rising water level which reached five feet within minutes, they added.

The water level in the Gorewada lake rose to 315.68 metres (the gate opening level is 315.45 metres) leading to an overflow into the Pili river. This in turn inundated several homes in north Nagpur, former corporator Manoj Sangole said.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force rescued 40 students from a school for the hearing and speech-impaired and relocated 140 families to safer locations, municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari told reporters.

District collector Vipin Itankar had declared a holiday for schools as a precautionary measure.

Numerous roads and residential areas have submerged, and waterlogging in Mor Bhavan city bus stop disrupted the Aapli Bus service.

According to the office of Fadnavis, two Indian Army units are en route to Ambazari. Fadnavis also appealed to the public to refrain from spreading rumours and advised residents to stay indoors unless it was absolutely necessary. The state BJP chief and MLC Chandrashekhar Bawankule, divisional commissioner Vijayalaxmi Bidari, Chaudhari, and Itankar inspected the rescue operations.

The Nagpur airport recorded 106mm rain by 5.30 am. The India Meteorological Department has issued warnings of “severe/moderate thunderstorms with lightning” in isolated places in Nagpur, Bhandara, and Gondia districts in the next 24 hours. There is also a possibility of “intense rain in isolated places” in these areas. Light to moderate rainfall is expected in many places in Wardha and some parts of Chandrapur, Bhandara and Gondia districts, with isolated light rainfall in Amravati, Yavatmal, and Gadchiroli districts, the weatherman said.