Maharashtra rains: Heavy water discharge in dams, villages on river banks on high alert

Several parts of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nanded, and rural parts of Marathwada were left submerged under floodwaters.

Maharashtra reeled under heavy rains for the second consecutive day on Sunday, with Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region witnessing incessant downpours since Saturday. Due to the heavy inflow, authorities have begun discharging water from major dams, including Jaikwadi, Sina Kolegaon, Koyana, and Gosikhurd, to prevent sudden releases, raising river and canal levels and sparking fresh fears of floods in several areas.

An aerial view of flood-affected regions in Marathwada region of Maharashtra. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to nine district collectors from flood-hit Marathwada and Solapur regions to review the situation and directed them to begin shifting villagers along rivers to safer places. Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde will also review the situation in Thane and Palghar districts.

Heavy rainfall since Saturday has lashed multiple regions across the state, including Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Satara, Kolhapur, all eight districts of Marathwada, parts of Vidarbha, and Solapur.

In Mumbai, waterlogging disrupted traffic in several parts of the city, as commuters faced snarls on major routes, including the Western Express Highway at Goregaon East, the Eastern Express Highway stretches between Vikhroli–Chheda Nagar and Amar Mahal–Sion, and the Tilak Bridge at Dadar.

The Andheri subway, submerged under nearly two feet of water, was closed through most of the morning before being reopened once the water receded. The police have advised commuters to avoid waterlogged routes, and traffic on the southbound carriageway from Malad to Dahisar and the toll plaza moved slowly.

On Sunday morning, Fadnavis reviewed relief and rescue operations in Marathwada and Solapur with district collectors, instructing them to provide food, shelter, and other essential aid.

With continuous rainfall in catchment areas, 1.25 lakh cusecs of water were discharged into the Godavari river from the Jaikwadi dam, while 60,000-75,000 cusecs were released from dams on the Sina river. In Vidarbha, the administration opened 19 gates of the Gosikhurd dam, putting residents along riverbanks on high alert.

Several parts of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nanded, and rural parts of Marathwada were left submerged under floodwaters.