Heavy Nashik rains submerge river bed temples; water discharged from dams as stocks rise

Mumbai : Heavy rains continued to lash Maharashtra's Nashik district on Monday, leading to water levels of several rivers rising and the submergence of many temples that are located on the bed of the Godavari river, officials said.

Officials said the district is likely to witness very heavy rainfall between July 11 and 14.

In the last 24 hours, Nashik district received 68.4 millimetres average rainfall, with Surgana receiving the highest rainfall of 238.8 mm, followed by Peth 187.6 mm and Trimbakeshwar 168 mm, an official said.

Ghat areas like Trimbakeshwar and Igatpuri traditionally get heavy rainfall, but this time Surgana and Peth have also witnessed considerable downpour, he added.

As at 3pm on Monday, water discharge from Gangapur Dam was 10,035 cusecs, while it was 15,088 cusec for Darna, 6,712 cusec for Kadwa and 49,480 cusec for Nandur-Madhyameshwar, he said.

The official said water released from the Gangapur Dam, which supplies drinking water to the city, increased the level of the Godavari river.

This led to several small temples in Ramkhund area, including the Dashkriya Vidhi canopy, getting submerged, he added.

"The residents of Nashik measure the intensity of flooding by watching the water level around the Dutondya Maruti (two-headed Hanuman) idol situated on the river bed. At present, the water level is a little below the waist of the idol," an official explained.

Data from the district administration revealed that cumulative water stock in all the dams was 29,973 million cubic feet (mcft), which is 46 per cent of total storage capacity.

It was 55 per cent in Gangapur, 67 per cent in Darna, 49 per cent in Palkhed and 45 per cent in Chankapur, the data showed.

The official told PTI residents of villages along the banks of the Godavari as well as some other smaller rivers have been alerted to the situation, though the water level at present is below the 'danger' mark.

"Smaller rivers in the district like Dindori, Trimbakeshwar, Delaware, Niphad and Ghoti as well as rivulets are overflowing after incessant rains. Several roads near these water-bodies have been closed for traffic as a precautionary measure," the official said.