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Hopes of finding survivors in landslide-hit Maharashtra villages fade
Taliye is one of the hardest-hit areas in Maharashtra, where the toll from landslides and flooding went up to 138 on Saturday while 90,000 people have been evacuated.
The hopes of finding survivors in Maharashtra’s Taliye, where a portion of a hillock flattened most of the village late on Thursday and buried at least 32 houses, were fading away as the rescue operation was stalled due to heavy rain on Saturday. Loose mud prevented National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from resuming digging to look for around 50 residents, who remain missing. Locals said the rescue operation was progressing slowly due to bad weather and difficult terrain earlier even as 36 bodies were pulled from debris until Friday evening.
Sandhya Malusare, who lost her mother, father, and six other relatives, said she survived since she lives in a neighbouring village. “This is the biggest tragedy of my life and I have lost many of my family members. ...the administration is very slow in carrying out the rescue and search operations.”
Mahendra Pol, a resident, said the locals do not have the wherewithal to carry out the evacuation, search and rescue operations. “Fortunately, my family members were saved...but others were unlucky. Yesterday (Friday) and the day before (Thursday), there was a slow rescue process while today (Saturday) it has not even started properly.”
Taliye is one of the hardest-hit areas in Maharashtra, where the toll from landslides and flooding went up to 138 on Saturday while 90,000 people have been evacuated from seven districts in the aftermath of heavy rain this week.
The locals said they have been left to fend for themselves. “Even police are helpless, and many villagers are missing. The government is not sensitive. Police are also at a distance and not visiting the spot. The rescue operation has been delayed and the government officials are insensitive to our pain and anguish. Whatever bodies have been recovered was due to the efforts of locals,” said a resident.
The NDRF said they were facing issues related to access and logistics. “...three teams of 25 persons are carrying out search operations. ...the area is waterlogged and very remote. Approach and access to the village are tough and difficult. It is a mud hillock and since we are working, there is a risk of the mudslide. So, we are working very carefully to avoid another tragedy,” said NDRF commandant Anupam Shrivastava.
Collector Nidhi Choudhari said the additional collector, three tehsildars and NDRF is carrying out operations at the spot. “It involves a tough terrain as it (the village) is surrounded by Valleys from both sides. The road to the village was washed away. It is nature’s fury and unimaginable for us. There were access issues yesterday (Friday) and we had to clear the landslide debris to reach the village. The challenge is that we have to trace the bodies.”
Choudhari said the district has nine extremely landslide-prone and 80 mild landslide villages. “This village (Taliye) is not among them. We have conducted the geological survey of the district and the village does figure on the landslide-prone village. We conduct studies to find out the vulnerable villages and plan accordingly to make life safe for the villagers as part of our disaster management preparedness.”
The opposition parties have also criticised the government over the slow rescue operation.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pravin Darekar said around 40-50 persons are still missing, and the administration has failed to respond to the situation. “Heavy rainfall, waterlogging, and disrupted connectivity are hampering the operations in the village. The tragedy must be viewed seriously by the state and the administration must ensure timely relief and evacuation of the victims .”
