Several parts of Maharashtra, including Pune and Nashik, are reeling under a flood situation after heavy rain.
Twelve people are stranded in Nashik’s Malegaon after a rise in Girna river’s water level. Disaster response teams from the NDRF and fire department are on the spot and preparing to rescue those stuck.
Nashik has received 250 mm of rain in the past 48 hours. Gangapur dam had to release water last night after it was 86 per cent full. A 29-year-old man is missing after the rise in the levels of the Godavari. Several shops on the river bank have been removed, and the local administration has alerted residents.
In Pune, localities such as Ekta Nagar have been flooded and several homes have been vacated. The Army has also been called in to assist with the rescue operation in affected areas.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be visited waterlogged areas in Pune today. He will inspect the Singhad Road area and speak to residents.
In Palghar district, heavy rain led to a road crash. Local authorities said four speeding bikes crashed due to low visibility and seven people were injured, four of them critically.
The weather department has issued warnings for more rain in Pune, Nashik, Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Satara and Ratnagiri.
Monsoon fury has caused large-scale devastation in several parts of the country this year. More than 300 people have died after landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad. Flash floods in Himachal Pradesh have left 13 dead and several people are missing.
Further north, a cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir has led to the closure of the Srinagar-Leh national highway, cutting off Kashmir Valley from Ladakh. In Uttar Pradesh, six districts are still affected by floods and five people have died in rain-related incidents.