Heavy rains lash Thane, Palghar; hundreds shifted, some MSRTC bus services suspended

Thane: Rains battered most parts of Thane district on Thursday, leading to widespread flooding and necessitating rescue operations in Ambernath and some other areas.

The district received 138 mm of rainfall from 8 am to 1 pm, bringing this season's total to 1,424 mm, a civic official said here.

In Ambernath, 18 elderly residents of Sahavas old age home were relocated to upper floors at another old age home in Maher. Similarly, 30 children and staff from Satkarma ashram were rescued and shifted to Pragati Andha Vidyalaya.

As many as 200 persons were evacuated to BSUP building.

In Kalyan, 40 families, comprising 156 persons, were relocated as a precautionary measure.

Water levels exceeded the danger level in Badlapur barrage, Jambul dam, Mohane dam and Ulhas river in Kalyan, reports said.

The villages of Mohane, Varap, Valdhuni, Kalyan, Ane, Bhisol, Rayte, Apti, Dahagaon, and Manjarli in Kalyan taluka; Ambernath, Badlapur, Eranjad, Kudsavre, Kanhere, and Kasgaon in Ambernath taluka; Shahad, Ulhasnagar, and Mharal in Ulhasnagar taluka; and Dive Agar and Rajnoli in Bhiwandi taluka are expected to be affected due to flooding, district officials said.

Villages around the Tansa dam were put on high alert as the water storage in the dam reached 99.18 per cent capacity. Additionally, five houses, including two kutcha houses, were reported damaged in Bhiwandi and Shahapur talukas.

In Kalyan taluka, the movement on the Runde and Rayte bridges has been suspended due to overflowing water, with villagers along the riverbanks alerted for safety.

Kalyan-Murbad road and Murbad-Sahapur roads were closed due to submerged bridges. In Kalyan, 96 families were asked to shift to safe locations.

The Murbad-Shahapur road was closed as Chikli bridge went under water.

Two NDRF teams have been deployed in Thane district to assist with rescue and relief efforts, officials said.

In a release, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation said it was suspending services on at least a dozen routes in the district due to water flowing above bridge decks.

These comprise five routes in Murbad, as well as those serviced by Wada, Thane, Kalyan and Vithalwadi depots.

"Bridges in Kishore, Pali, Badlapur, Eranjad, Chikla, Shivdholi, Mhasa are under water, while a tree fell on the road in Sakhra," the MSRTC release informed.

State excise minister and Thane guardian minister Shambhuraj Desai chaired a meeting through video conference and it was attended by Collector Ashok Shingare, Additional Collector Manisha Jaibhaye-Dhule and District Disaster Management Authority CEO Sudam Pardeshi, an official said.

Desai asked all government agencies, including civic and police, to coordinate to provide relief to citizens and to make evacuation plans wherever required.

All departments must be on alert for the next 24 hours due to heavy rains in the area, while health agencies must ensure dispensaries have adequate stocks of essential medicines, the official said quoting Desai.

In neighbouring Palghar district, disaster management cell chief Vivekanand Kadam told PTI traffic on the state highway in Jawhar came to a halt due to a boulder crash at 2pm.

No one was hurt in the incident and traffic was restored a little after 4pm, he said.

"Ulhas and Kalu rivers have crossed the danger mark at four different locations in Badlapur, Mohane, Jambulpada and Titwala. At 4pm, Savitri and Amba rivers in Raigad as well as Kundalika and Patalganga have crossed the danger mark," another official said.