3 Maharashtra districts hit hard by floods

MUMBAI: The flood situation in Maharashtra’s three districts – Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli – remained grim with the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) teams managing to reach several affected villages only on Wednesday morning. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis described the rainfall to be the highest in the past 50 years.

More than 22 NDRF teams are working to rescue the marooned people from these three districts as well as in the Konkan region where many villages have been cut off from the rest of the state. Fadnavis, who cancelled his prepoll engagements, said the state has been taking help from different rescue agencies such as the Navy and Territorial Army jawans.

The CM said of all the districts, the situation is ‘acute’ in Kolhapur. “From June to August, Kolhapur has received more than 104% of normal rainfall,” he said.


Former Kolhapur MP Raju Shetti told ET that the situation is dire. “The NDRF cannot rescue everybody because there are thousands of people. Locals have rescued many, but 40 villages are still under water and if the water level rises in the next two days, then things can turn dire,” said Shetti.