Heavy rains in Pune leave 4 dead; Army team in Sinhagad Road: Dy CM Pawar

Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Maharashtra's Pune, where at least four persons died in rain-related incidents on Thursday, while low-lying areas were inundated.

Two people are feared trapped in one of the three bungalows buried under debris after a landslide in Lavasa in the morning, a police official said. Pune fire brigade officials said two people are feared drowned in Katraj and Nanayan Peth area but added that no further details were available. During his tour of the district in the afternoon, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said as a precautionary measure, Army teams have been deployed at Ekta Nagar in Sinhagad Road, while NDRF personnel are also in the area.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 'red alert' for Pune district and asked people to take precautions. Schools and colleges in most parts of the district have declared a holiday in view of the heavy rainfall warning, officials said.

Pune city and other parts of the district, including Velha, Mulshi, Bhor talukas and the catchments areas of several dams, including Khadakwasla, have been witnessing incessant rains since Wednesday night. In the city, housing societies in the low-lying areas, such as Sinhagad Road, Bavdhan, Baner and Deccan Gymkhana, witnessed flooding and inundation and efforts have been launched by the fire brigade and disaster management cell of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to evacuate the stranded people, the officials said. "Currently there is no flooding in Sinhagad Road and all those who needed to be shifted to safety have been moved. Arrangements have been made for meals, clothes and other relief materials for those who have been evacuated," Pawar said

The water release and heavy rains aggravated the situation but deployment of relief mechanisms was done in advance and people were taken to safety, Pawar asserted. During his visit to Sinhagad Road area, Pawar had to face the ire of residents who complained of not getting advance information about the water release.

The vehicle making the announcement did not tour the area, which led to sudden flooding in Ekta Nagar, resulting in losses worth lakhs of rupees, a woman told him. Pawar told them the administration will provide help to those affected after conducting damage assessment.

Pune district collector Suhas Diwase said that in the wake of heavy rains in the Khadakwasla dam's catchment area, water has been released from the reservoir. "As the catchment areas of Khadakwasla dam has been witnessing incessant rains, water is being released at over 35,000 cusec and it will further increase to 45,000 cusec.

Due to the water discharge, several low lying areas along the Mutha river witnessed inundation and flooding," he said. Later in the afternoon, Pawar said water from Khadakwasla reservoir was being released at 35000 cusecs but now it has been reduced to 15000 cusecs. "I have told officials from the irrigation department that if they want to release the water from Khadakwasla, they can do it before it gets dark. If the water release is increased after it gets dark, those living in the low lying areas along the Mutha river may have to suffer hardships.," he said.

"If we can empty the reservoir to some extent and if there are rains during the night, the reservoir will have capacity to store the water. The capacity of the Khadakwasla reservoir is around 3 TMC. Instructions have also been given to release water through the canals at different dams in Pune district," said Pawar.

Mulshi Dam is almost filling up and officials have been asked to use the water for power generation, the Deputy CM said. Coordination is underway with the district administration of Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara to monitor the rain situation, while NDRF and SDRF teams are at critical spots as a precautionary measure, Pawar asserted. Four persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Pune, officials said. While three men died of electrocution in Deccan area of the city while trying to move their handcart, on which they used to sell egg dishes, after it got submerged due to heavy rains, one person died and another sustained injuries in a landslide in Tahmini ghat section in Mulshi tehsil, district officials said.

"One person died while another sustained injuries after a landslide on a small eatery in Tahmini ghat in Mulshi tehsil," inspector Manoj Yadav of Paud police station said.

The rescue operation at the site of the landslide in Lavasa was halted on Thursday evening by NDRF due to the heavy rains and darkness and it will resume on Friday morning, an official from Paud police station said. "As a precautionary measure, the disaster management cells and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed at the low lying areas, where flooding and inundation is anticipated. People must not step out of homes unless it is very important. The IMD has issued red alert for Pune for the next 24 hours," Diwase said.

Pawar said, as per the IMD's forecast for the next five days, some districts have been issued orange alert, while it is yellow alert for other areas. "NDRF teams have been deployed at 18 locations, while six SDRF teams are stationed in Kurla and Ghatkopar in Mumbai, as well as Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara and Sangli," Pawar told reporters. The district administration announced holiday for the schools on Friday in Bhor, Velha, Maval, Mulshi, Haveli, Ambedgaon, Junnar tehsils as well as Pimpri Chinchwad.