Besides Pune and Kolhapur, the division also includes the districts of Sangli and Satara. Satara is hit hard especially by heavy rains and landslides
A visual of rain-hit Ratnagiri. Pic Courtesy/Indian Air Force
As many as 84,452 people, including over 40,000 in Kolhapur district, were shifted to safer places in Western Maharashtra's Pune division on Friday as rains battered the region and rivers were in spate, officials said.
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The Panchganga river near the Kolhapur city was flowing at a level higher than that witnessed during the peak of floods in 2019, officials said. Besides Pune and Kolhapur, the division also includes the districts of Sangli and Satara. Satara is hit hard especially by heavy rains and landslides.
Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and other agencies shifted a total of 84,452 people to safer locations by Friday evening, officials said. Six teams of the Indian Army and Navy are expected to join the rescue work on Saturday morning. As many as 54 villages were completed affected due to the floods while 821 were partially affected, officials said.
As many as 40,882 persons have been shifted from flood-affected areas in Kolhapur district alone. Five people -- two in Radhanagari, two in Chandgad and one in Kagal tehsil -- died in rain-related incidents in the district, officials said. The Panchganga was flowing at 55.08 feet at the Rajaram weir near the Kolhapur city around 9 pm, officials said.
An official from the district disaster management cell said that during the devastating floods of 2019, the highest level of the river at the same spot was 55.7 feet. "A total of 262 villages are affected by floods. 34 are fully affected while 228 are partially hit. So far, 9,917 families, comprising 40,882 people, have been shifted to safer places," he added.
Over 15,000 livestock animals too have been taken to safety, the official added. At least 39 roads including 10 state highways are closed for traffic due to the floods in the district. Three NDRF teams have been pressed into rescue operation.
"Five additional teams of NDRF have been sought. One team of the Army is also reaching," the official said. In neighboring Sangli district, over 36,000 people from 7,000 families have been shifted to safer places, officials said.
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