Army, Thane civic body to the rescue of 8.5K in Diva
In the 15-hour operation, residents were rescued using boats and ropes and shifted to higher areas such as civic schools and residential buildings.
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and Indian Army rushed to the rescue of more than 8,500 residents stranded in Diva, thanks to the heavy rain and release of water from Barvi dam.
In the 15-hour operation, residents were rescued using boats and ropes and shifted to higher areas such as civic schools and residential buildings. The water didn’t recede even late at night, forcing residents to take overnight shelters in schools and nearby buildings.
Santosh Kadam, chief officer of Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) in Thane, said, “There was waterlogging at several places since 4.30am. We had kept seven boats in Diva along with ropes and other rescue equipment. Our own fire brigade team, Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) and an army team helped to rescue the 8,500 villagers.” Civic officials and local corporators also joined the rescue operation.
Manish Joshi, deputy municipal commissioner, TMC, said, “The low-lying areas of Diva, Sabe village, Desai and Dativli were waterlogged. We decided to rescue these people as water 7-8ft deep. We went from chawl to chawl and urged people to move out of their homes. We had seven motorised boats which were used to rescue women, children and senior citizens. The men were rescued using ropes. We provided food and other essential to those rescued. The operation was closed after 8pm.”
Rohidas Munde, 40, a resident of Diva, said, “Most of the areas in Diva started flooding since the wee hours of Sunday. It was not easy to stay put in our homes as water was almost waist-deep. The corporation and army people came to our rescue and shifted most of the residents.”
Another resident, Sheela Tribhuvane, 45, said, “The Army and TMC were prompt in helping us.”
Around 70 people were shifted to safety from Mumbra after a landslide destroyed four homes. Twenty-five houses in Patlipada were evacuated. A traffic officer said, “Ghodbunder Road was shut for sometime in the morning as most stretches were flooded.”
Kadam said more than 66 trees fell across the city, while water logging was seen at around 40 spots. The residents of Srirang Vrundavan society too were rescued by boats.