Panchganga river water crosses warning level in Kolhapur

Kolhapur, Aug 6:  The Panchganga river water at Kolhapur in western Maharashtra crossed the warning level on Thursday morning following heavy rainfall in the area, the district disaster management cell said.

Nine state highways and 25 other roads in the district have been affected due to the heavy rains, a Public Works Department official said. On Thursday morning, water level of the Panchganga river at Rajaram weir reached 41.7 feet. The warning level at the weir is 39 feet while the danger level is 43 feet, according to Kolhapur's disaster management cell.

Collector Daulat Desai has appealed to people living on the river banks to shift to safer places.He said since the rain stopped on Thursday morning, the water level of the river is expected to remain steady.

"We have shifted people and livestock from villages like Chikhli and Ambewadi, which are flood-prone, to safer places. We are prepared to handle any situation," he said. Kolhapur and neighbouring Sangli district witnessed heavy rains in the last two days.

As a pre-emptive measure, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already deployed four teams in Kolhapur district.On Wednesday evening, Kolhapur's Guardian Minister Satej Patil took the stock of the situation and instructed the administration to be prepared to handle a possible flood situation in the district.

The Sangli district administration has also asked people living on the banks of the Krishna, Warna and Koyna rivers to remain alert. Last year, unprecedented rains wreaked havoc in western Maharashtra, especially in Kolhapur and Sangli districts, claiming over 60 lives.