Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday asked authorities in several districts of the state to be ready with rescue teams and relief mechanisms in view of the India Meteorological Department predicting rain squalls.
These are sudden, intense bouts of rain with gusts of wind for a few minutes.
A statement from the chief minister's office (CMO) said officials in districts in the Konkan, western Maharashtra, north Maharashtra and Vidarbha have been directed to be on full alert for such weather activities.
The IMD has predicted that some parts of the state may get such rain squalls for the next four to five days, officials said.
Some parts of the state received heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening, with cloudbursts being reported at some spots.
The National Disaster Response Force has been asked to coordinate with states in the south that share borders with Maharashtra as they too have received heavy rainfall in the past 48 hours, the statement added.
