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‘Sangli, Kolhapur floods to recede further in next 48-72 hours’, says Devendra Fadnavis
Speaking at the Sangli district collectorate, he noted that the Koyna reservoir with a capacity of 100 TMC (thousand million cubic feet), received enough rainfall in nine days to fill it up to 50TMC.
Blaming the floods in Sangli and Kolhapur districts on the high intensity of the rainfall over just a few days, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that a total 3.78 lakh people from the districts had been evacuated and shifted to 307 relief camps.
“In 2005, Sangli experienced 207% rain in 31 days. In 2019, 758% rainfall happened in nine days alone. In Kolhapur, 31 days of 2005 recorded 159% rainfall while in 2019, Kolhapur saw 180% rainfall in nine days. The rainfall was unprecedented all over. The combined effect of the Krishna, Koyna and Panchaganaga rivers caused the current flood situation,” Fadnavis said at a press conference after a tour of Sangli district.
Speaking at the Sangli district collectorate, he noted that the Koyna reservoir with a capacity of 100 TMC (thousand million cubic feet), received enough rainfall in nine days to fill it up to 50TMC. The flood waters were expected to recede in the next 48 to 72 hours, the chief minister said.
Fadnavis informed that Rs 153 crore was released on Friday towards compensation and announced Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs. 10,000-15,000 for affected people. “Rs 25 crore has already been given to various tehsils,” he said.
The floods have ravaged 10 villages, and displaced 1.43 lakh people from 8,537 families in Sangli district. The government has set up 117 camps for people and accommodated 35,000 animals in relief camps, he said.
There was considerable distress in Sangalwadi area even as major displacement had taken place in Haripur and Alashwani area of Sangli, he noted.
The state government has called for additional rescue teams from various parts of the country to assist with the rehabilitation and cleaning process once the water recedes. Government employees and machinery from various surrounding municipal corporations besides those from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad would also be deployed for cleaning, he said.
