Panchganga at warning level: Roads towards Konkan shut in Kolhapur district
Roads in Kolhapur, including a few state highways, were closed for traffic as some of the stretches went under Panchganga river flowing above 39 feet, a warning level, officials said
PUNE Several roads in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur, including a few state highways, were closed for traffic as some of the stretches went under water as a result of incessant rains in the district over the past two days, officials said on Thursday.
In the 24-hour period that ended at 8 am on Thursday, Kolhapur district witnessed 93 mm of rainfall, pushing the water level of the Panchganga river above 39 feet, a warning level, the district disaster management cell said.
“By 3 pm, the water level of the river measured at the Rajaram weir near Kolhapur, was above the warning mark at 39 feet. To evacuate people, two teams of NDRF have been deployed in the district,” said Kolhapur guardian minister Satej Patil.
Officials said as many as 81 bunds in the district have gone under water following the rains.
There are three district roads that have seen closures as the rainwater submerged stretches. In several rural areas, the bridges have gone under water and traffic movement has been shut. A few state highways going through the district have also been affected.
The road near Jadhavwadi Nile in Shahuwadi tehsil, Kolhapur- Ratnagiri road, is closed for vehicular movement as water came onto the road, the official said. As the bund at Khochi Dudhgaon got submerged, the traffic going towards Sangli district from that route was diverted.
Vehicular traffic was diverted through alternative routes, he added. The catchment areas of several dams in the region witnessed heavy rainfall in the last 48 hours, which led to rise in the water level of these reservoirs.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had earlier said that it has deployed nine rescue teams in Maharashtra and two of them have been sent to Kolhapur district. One of which will undertake rescue or preventive evacuation in the flood-prone Shirol tehsil, while the other one will conduct rescue work in Kolhapur city, it has said.
In August 2019, unprecedented rains wreaked havoc in western Maharashtra, especially in Kolhapur and Sangli districts, leaving at least 60 people dead and causing serious losses to property.
(With agency inputs)