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30 die in ‘unprecedented’ Maharashtra rains
As many as 378,000 people from the affected districts had been evacuated and shifted to 307 relief camps. The government, which has released Rs 153 crore on Friday for relief operations
Monsoon fury has claimed 30 lives in Maharashtra’s flood-affected districts of Sangli and Kolhapur till Saturday, prompting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to announce Rs 5 lakh ex gratia compensation for the next of kin.
Addressing a press conference in Sangli on Saturday, Fadnavis attributed the flooding to “unprecedented” rainfall during this monsoon, which he said was “more than double” of what was witnessed in 2005, when many parts of the state, including large areas of Mumbai, were submerged.
“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 after touring Sangli district earlier in the day.
As many as 378,000 people from the affected districts had been evacuated and shifted to 307 relief camps. The government, which has released Rs 153 crore on Friday for relief operations, announced Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 compensation to affected persons. Rs 1 lakh assistance will be offered in case of destruction of house due to floods.
Three more bodies were recovered in the boat capsize incident that took place on Thursday near Brahmanal village in Palus tehsil of Sangli district during the flood rescue operations. Nine persons had drowned and as many others had gone missing in the incident. With the recovery of three more bodies, the death toll in the incident has gone up to 12.
“Rs 25 crore has already been given to various tehsils,” Fadnavis said.
The flood waters were expected to recede in the next 48 to 72 hours, the chief minister said.
Incessant rains in the past three days has left at least 10 villages submerged, displacing 143,000 people from in Sangli alone. As many as 35,000 animals have been rescued and are in relief camps. Crops on 27,468 hectares have been affected and 484 km of roads were damaged in the district, he said. Once the water levels fall, restoring water supply and electricity connections will be the priority, Fadnavis said.
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.
