6 dead, hundreds displaced in rain-hit districts of Maharashtra; next 48 hours crucial: CM

Mumbai: Six persons have died and hundreds have been displaced over the last couple of days as heavy rains battered several districts of Maharashtra, bringing Mumbai to its knees on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who reviewed the flood situation with the disaster management department, said that the next 48 hours would be crucial for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, which remain on high alert.

As heavy downpour continued overnight, the low-lying areas were inundated in Mumbai, affecting the suburban train service, prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to declare a holiday for all government and semi-government offices.

The Bombay High Court, which operates from 11 am to 5 pm, functioned only till 12.30 due to heavy rains.

Schools and colleges were also shut in view of the 'red alert' warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which forecast extremely heavy showers at isolated places in Mumbai and neighbouring districts on Tuesday.

The Directorate of Higher Education has declared a holiday for all senior colleges in the Konkan region, applicable to institutions in Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.

Local train services were delayed, and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking's bus services were diverted at a few locations due to submerged roads, as per officials.

The Central Railway suspended its local train services on the Harbour Line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kurla stations due to submergence of tracks in a section after heavy rains.

It also suspended services on its main line between Kurla and Sion stations as the rail tracks got waterlogged, they said.

Nearly 350 people from Kurla in suburban Mumbai were shifted to safer locations as the Mithi River in the city swelled, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office said.

Several parts of Mumbai received more than 200 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, with Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs reporting the highest downpour at 255.5 mm, the IMD said.

At least six people have died in rain-related incidents in the state in the last couple of days.

More than 290 people have been rescued from the flood-hit villages of Nanded district over the last two days, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Army have been deployed in the region.

Seven people travelling in an autorickshaw and a car got swept away on a flooded Mujkhed-Udgir Road around 1.40 am. Local rescue teams have managed to save three men, while a search is underway for a man and three women, an official said.

According to meteorologists, the torrential rains were triggered by a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and the strengthening of monsoon winds.

"The system has activated a trough extending from north Konkan to Kerala. This has triggered very heavy to extremely heavy rains over Konkan, central Maharashtra and the ghats, while the rest of the state is witnessing moderate showers," said S D Sanap, senior scientist of the India Meteorological Department, Pune.

The IMD has forecast intense rainfall for Konkan, including Mumbai, and parts of central Maharashtra for the next two days, while an orange alert has been sounded in Marathwada and Vidarbha, where the intensity of rainfall is expected to reduce to a yellow alert later this week.

Talking to reporters, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that the incessant showers have submerged nearly 10 lakh hectares of agricultural land in the state.

The damage assessment will commence once the rains subside, he said.

In Gadchiroli, incessant rain since Monday evening has inundated low-lying areas and disrupted connectivity.

More than 50 villages in Bhamragad taluka remain cut off after the Perlkota River overflowed, forcing the closure of the Bhamraga-Allapalli Highway.

A 19-year-old youth from Kodpe village was swept away while crossing a swollen stream, officials said.

Major rivers in Washim district are in spate for the fourth consecutive day, damaging thousands of hectares of kharif crops.

In western Maharashtra, Radhanagari dam in Kolhapur released 11,500 cusecs of water into the Bhogavati River after heavy inflows, causing the Panchganga River to flow above danger levels for the fifth time this season.

According to officials, the Kolhapur-Ratnagiri Highway remained shut for several hours due to landslides, disrupting traffic.

Similarly, heavy discharge from the Chandoli Dam increased water levels in the Warna River, and downstream villages in Kolhapur have been alerted, they said.

The Koyna Dam, a major hydro-electricity generating reservoir, on Tuesday started controlled release of water into the Koyna River, and the major towns, such as Karad in Satara district, were alerted about the possible rise in water levels of rivers, officials from the state water resources department said.

In Konkan, Raigad district recorded more than 160 mm of rainfall in Roha taluka on Monday, with the Kundalika and Savitri Rivers flowing above danger marks.

Local officials said that road connectivity was disrupted in Mahad and Nagothane due to landslides and flooding of village routes.