Thane: Around 8,500 people from low-lying areas in Diva in Thane district were shifted to safer places on Sunday after Barvi dam started overflowing, officials said.
According to officials, these low-lying areas in Diva were already flooded to some extent due to continuous downpour in the last couple of days. "Around 8,500 people from Diva were shifted to safer places after the Barvi dam started overflowing. The action was taken as a precautionary measure, in view of possibility of flooding," chief of Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Santosh Kadam said.
The operation was jointly carried out by the Army, fire brigade and the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF), he said in an official release. Barvi dam is overflowing due to heavy rains in the catchment areas in the last couple of days, he added. These people were rescued with the help of seven boats. Palghar district administration said that around 800 people were rescued from different locations and shifted to safer places.
A 13-year-old boy, identified as Pravin Prajapati, was swept away in the floods at Morgaon in Vasai, officials said. Total 1,12,535 cusecs water was released from Modaksagar dam into the Vaitarna river and 42,000 cusecs from Tansa dam into the Tansa river, which led to flooding in Vasai, Wada and Palghar talukas in the district, they added. People stranded due to flooding in Tansa Mori, Mithaghar, Rajivali, Arnala and Bathane and Pelhar of Vasai, were rescued.
Around 12 people, who were marooned in a cattle-shed in Gandre village in Palghar district, were rescued by the police and locals, officials said. Volunteers of an NGO rescued several tribals from Kaju Bandan Pada, Nadhi Pada, Chave Vadi and other hamlets hit by rains. Palghar district officials said that Manor was badly it due to heavy rainfall. At least 56 people marooned due to flooding were rescued and moved to safer places.
According to officials, the Coast Guard rescued as many as eight people stranded in godown in Karalgaon village. At Padgha in Thane district, over 150 cattles were shifted to a safer place by the local police. As Jambhulpada in the district witnessed heavy flooding, a number of people were shifted to safer places, officials said.
