Heavy rains in parts of Maharashtra; 3 missing in Gadchiroli, moderate showers in Mumbai

Mumbai, July 11 (PTI): Three persons were missing in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district after heavy rains and incessant downpour led to a rise in water levels of several rivers in Nashik district, while Mumbai and its adjoining areas received moderate showers on Monday.

Heavy rains continued to lash Nashik district, causing a rise in water levels of several rivers and submerging many temples located on the bed of the Godavari river, officials said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red’ alert for Nashik district till July 14, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours.

Pune district, too, has been witnessing heavy rains since the last few days.

In Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra, three persons were swept away in overflowing nullahs in the last three days and their bodies were fished out later, said a release issued by the District Information Office (DIO).

Three others were still missing after being swept away in nullah waters, the release said.

In Gadchiroli, as many as 353 people from 129 places affected by heavy rains have been shifted to safer places, it said.

In the last 24 hours, Surgana in Nashik district received the highest rainfall at 238.8 mm, followed by Peth at 187.6 mm and Trimbakeshwar at 168 mm, an official said.

Ghat areas like Trimbakeshwar and Igatpuri traditionally get heavy rainfall during the monsoon, but this time Surgana and Peth have also witnessed considerable downpour, he added.

As at 3pm on Monday, water discharge from the Gangapur Dam was 10,035 cusecs, while it was 15,088 cusec for Darna, 6,712 cusec for Kadwa and 49,480 cusec for Nandur-Madhyameshwar dams, he said.

The official said water released from the Gangapur Dam, which supplies drinking water to the city, increased the level of the Godavari river.

This led to several small temples in the Ramkhund area, including the Dashkriya Vidhi canopy, getting submerged, he added.

“The residents of Nashik measure the intensity of flooding by watching the water level around the Dutondya Maruti (two-headed Hanuman) idol situated on the river bed.

At present, the water level is a little below the waist of the idol,” the official explained.

Data from the district administration revealed that cumulative water stock in all the dams was 29,973 million cubic feet (mcft), which is 46 per cent of total storage capacity.

The official told PTI that residents of villages along the banks of the Godavari as well as some other smaller rivers have been alerted, though the water level at present is below the ‘danger’ mark.

“Smaller rivers in areas like Dindori, Trimbakeshwar, Delaware, Niphad and Ghoti as well as rivulets are overflowing after incessant rains. Several roads near these water-bodies have been closed for traffic as a precautionary measure,” the official said.

He said a team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been sought for the North Maharashtra district in view of the ‘red’ rainfall alert issued for the next three days.

The IMD has also issued a ‘red’ alert for Gadchiroli till July 13 and the district administration has temporarily closed all schools and colleges as a preventive measure.

Eastern and southern parts of Gadchiroli, mainly Bhamragadh, Aheri and Sironcha have been experiencing heavy rainfall since the last three days.

Aheri has registered 262 mm rainfall and Bhamragadh 125 mm rainfall, the DIO release said.

The administration, as a precautionary measure, has already supplied ration and medicines to villages which get cut off during the monsoon, it said.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are slated to visit Gadchiroli on Monday evening to review the rain situation.

Light to moderate rains lashed Mumbai and its neighbouring areas on Monday, but there was no report of water-logging anywhere in the metropolis, civic officials said.

The IMD has predicted moderate rainfall in the city and its suburbs over the next 24 hours, with a possibility of heavy showers at isolated places, they said.

The island city (south Mumbai) recorded an average rainfall of 12.04 mm in the 24 hour-period till 8 am on Monday, while the eastern and western suburbs received 22.12 mm and 12.76 mm downpour, respectively, an official said.

There was no water-logging anywhere in the city, hence no public bus service was diverted, officials said.

Suburban train services, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, were also running normally on the Central and Western Railway corridors, they said.

A landslide occurred on a road leading to the famous Bhimashankar temple in Pune district in the early hours of Monday following heavy rains, officials said.

Bhimashankar, located about 100 km from Pune in Khed taluka and over 200 km from Mumbai, is one of the 12 ‘jyotirlingas’ in the country.

The landslide took place around 3 am on the Pokhari Ghat, Public Works Department official Suresh Pathade said, adding there was no report of any casualty.

The debris came crashing down, blocking the Ghodegaon-Bhimashankar road partially, police said.

“Due to the landslide, the road was partially blocked, but one side was open for vehicular movement,” Ghodegaon police station’s assistant inspector Jeevan Mane said.

Pune district has been witnessing heavy rains since the last few days.