Many Maharashtra villages cut off amid flood fury

Mumbai: Days after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides across several districts in Maharashtra, killing over 150 people and leaving dozens still missing, two national highways remain closed to traffic along with other key roads making it difficult to evacuate people stranded on the roofs of their submerged homes.

Frightening visuals from the roads outside Sangliwadi village in Sangli district highlight the severity of the situation, including one shot that shows a lorry with water up to the driver's cabin, according to NDTV report.

Other shots show people now living on the roof of their homes as they wait, anxiously and desperately, for help. Locals said that while the situation was not quite as grim as the 2019 floods, it was worrying that the water had still not receded, despite little or no rain since yesterday.

Most of the village has been evacuated and a relief camp has been set up at a nearby college. The Krishna and Warna rivers are flowing over danger marks. In some places water levels have even risen, with heavy rains in catchment areas forcing the release of excess water from dams.

Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil is camping in Sangli to oversee rescue and relief efforts. So far, nearly one lakh people and 30 livestock have been evacuated from there.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited Chiplun, the site of severe flooding in Ratnagiri district of the Konkan region. A group of locals stopped the CM's convoy and informed him about the problems they were facing following the rain havoc in the area. The chief minister interacted with residents, businessmen and shopkeepers, and promised them all help from the state government to restore normalcy in the area.

Thackeray said they will require "central assistance for long-term mitigation measures", and added that he will tour western Maharashtra on Monday and a comprehensive data of the extent of damages will be prepared.

Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane visited Taliye village in Raigad, the site of a massive landslide on Thursday, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked him to submit a report on the damage caused by the rains.

Rane said damaged houses would be rebuilt under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana after suggestions are taken from local residents.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council Pravin Darekar accompanied Rane.

In the last 24 hours, one death was reported from Pune and one person was reported missing from Thane district, the state government said.

The government said 52 deaths were so far reported in Raigad, 21 in Ratnagiri, 13 in Satara, 12 in Thane, seven in Kolhapur, four in suburban Mumbai, and two each in Sindhudurg and Pune.

A total of 875 villages in Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune were affected by the torrential rains, while 1,35,313 people were evacuated to safer places, it said.