Raigad, Ratnagiri, Nashik submerged

Officials claim’s excess water released from dams was found to be the prime reason for flooding in districts such as Ratnagiri, Nashik and Sangli,district administration has advised people not to venture out of their homes unless it is absolutely necessary.

Following heavy downpour,it was not just Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) that were facing a flood-like situation on Sunday, but so did many districts in the state. Excess water released from dams was found to be the prime reason for flooding in districts such as Ratnagiri, Nashik and Sangli, officials said.

Pune after Khadakwasla dam released 30000 quesecs of water . (HT photo)

In Raigad, heavy downpour disturbed normal life in the district. Savitri and Gandhari rivers were flowing above the danger mark leading to flooding in many areas in the district such as ST Depot, Bazarpeth, Koliwada and Mohalla. In addition, the local administration lost contact with a few villages such as Ramraj, Antore, etc.

“So far, around 63 people from Sonyachi Vaadi village were rescued and shifted to a safer place using boats. The rescue operation was completed with the help of police authorities,” said an official from the district collector’s office.

Several areas in Nashik were submerged after 36,000 cusec of water was released from Gangapur dam in the district, as it was overflowing following heavy showers.

Godavari river is also flowing above the danger mark following which 200 people were evacuated from the affected areas. On Sunday, water was found overflowing on most of the bridges connecting Nashik City.

In Sangli, Krishna river was overflowing above the danger mark. Residents in nearby areas have been alerted as the river level was rising constantly due to heavy downpour.

Similarly, the level of Warna river rose after 20,000 cusec of water was released from Chandoli dam, creating a flood-like situation in the adjoining areas. In Audumbar in Sangli district, the Datta temple was found to be submerged in water.

In Miraj, many families were shifted to a safe place following the flooding. “We have rescued around 70 families from different areas,” said an official from the district collectorate.

Akshay Deoras, meteorologist and PhD researcher at the department of meteorology, University of Reading, UK, said, “Around 140 talukas (most belonging to central Maharashtra and Konkan) have received above average rainfall till August 3. Parts of Vidarbha will continue to receive showers in the coming week, but there is no forecast of good rainfall in the rainfall-deficient areas of the state this coming week.”

Morbe dam at full capacity, gates opened

Navi Mumbai’s Morbe dam overflowed in the early hours of Sunday. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has started to release the excess water to prevent flooding in the catchment area. The dam’s catchment area received over 3,177.20mm of rainfall this monsoon.

Manohar Sonawane, executive engineer, NMMC, said, “Morbe dam has overflown to full capacity at 190.89 mcm. It has crossed the 88m-water level. The level is presently at 88.2m. We have opened both the flap gates of the dam for a controlled release.” (with inputs from G Mohiuddin Jeddy)