Cabinet Reviews Flood Situation in Maharashtra; Orders Immediate Damage Assessment and Relief Measures

Mumbai : The Maharashtra Cabinet convened a meeting to assess the current situation caused by heavy rainfall across the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed officials to conduct immediate panchnamas (damage assessments) for losses to crops and houses and ensure prompt compensation to the affected.

At the outset of the meeting, the Cabinet reviewed the extent of rainfall, water storage levels in dams, and the condition of standing crops. It also evaluated the preparedness of various disaster management agencies.

Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Dattatraya Bharne, Employment Guarantee Scheme Minister Bharat Gogawale, and Fisheries and Ports Development Minister Nitesh Rane participated in the discussions.

Sonia Sethi, Principal Secretary of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department, presented an overview of the coordinated rescue and relief efforts being conducted through the State Emergency Operations Centre.

Under the ‘Sachet’ alert system, more than 1.9 billion SMS alerts related to rainfall and lightning warnings have been sent to citizens. The state emergency centre has been equipped with a modern communication system and a Decision Support System (DSS) for analyzing disaster data.

Four disaster response teams have been placed on standby—two each in Nagpur and Dhule. Teams designated for Nanded have departed from Dhule, while those for Gadchiroli have been dispatched from Nagpur. Additional teams across the state are also on standby, according to Sethi.

So far, eight people have lost their lives due to lightning strikes, wall collapses, falling trees, and drowning incidents, while two others have been injured. The Chief Minister has directed authorities to provide immediate relief and financial assistance to the families of the deceased as per government norms.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department, Deepak Kapoor, informed that the water storage in Ujani Dam has increased by 11 TMC. Sanjay Khandare, Principal Secretary of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, noted a slight reduction in the number of water tankers operating due to the recent rainfall over the past four days. However, water supply through tankers continues in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.