Mumbai, 19 Aug

Six persons have died and hundreds have been displaced over the last couple of days as heavy rains battered several districts of Maharashtra, causing floods, road blockages and widespread damage to crops, officials said on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who reviewed the flood situation with the disaster management department, said the next 48 hours would be crucial for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, which remain on high alert.

The administration is closely monitoring the situation, ensuring evacuation of citizens from low-lying areas and coordinating rescue operations, an official from the disaster management control room said.

At least six people have died in rain-related incidents in the state in the last couple of days.

More than 290 people have been rescued from the flood-hit villages of Maharashtra's Nanded district, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Army have been deployed in the region.

According to meteorologists, the torrential rains were triggered by a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and the strengthening of monsoon winds.

"The system has activated a trough extending from north Konkan to Kerala. This has triggered very heavy to extremely heavy rains over Konkan, central Maharashtra and the ghats, while the rest of the state is witnessing moderate showers," said S D Sanap, senior scientist of the India Meteorological Department, Pune.

IMD has forecast intense rainfall for Konkan, including Mumbai, and parts of central Maharashtra for the next two days, while an orange alert has been sounded in Marathwada and Vidarbha, where the intensity of rainfall is expected to reduce to a yellow alert later this week.

Talking to reporters, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that the incessant showers have submerged nearly 10 lakh hectares of agricultural land in the state.

The damage assessment will commence once the rains subside, he said.

In Gadchiroli, incessant rain since Monday evening has inundated low-lying areas and disrupted connectivity.

More than 50 villages in Bhamragad taluka remain cut off after the Perlkota River overflowed, forcing the closure of the Bhamraga-Allapalli Highway.

A 19-year-old youth from Kodpe village was swept away while crossing a swollen stream, officials said.

Major rivers in Washim district are in spate for the fourth consecutive day, damaging thousands of hectares of kharif crops.

In western Maharashtra, Radhanagari dam in Kolhapur released 11,500 cusecs of water into the Bhogavati River after heavy inflows, causing the Panchganga River to flow above danger levels for the fifth time this season.

According to officials, the Kolhapur-Ratnagiri Highway remained shut for several hours due to landslides, disrupting traffic.

Similarly, heavy discharge from the Chandoli Dam increased water levels in the Warna River, and downstream villages in Kolhapur have been alerted, they said.

The Koyna Dam, a major hydro-electricity generating reservoir, on Tuesday started controlled release of water into the Koyna River, and the major towns, such as Karad in Satara district, were alerted about the possible rise in water levels of rivers, officials from the state water resources department said.

In Konkan, Raigad district recorded more than 160 mm of rainfall in Roha taluka on Monday, with the Kundalika and Savitri Rivers flowing above danger marks.

The district administration has declared a holiday for all schools and colleges on Tuesday.

Local officials said that road connectivity was disrupted in Mahad and Nagothane due to landslides and flooding of village routes.

With the rains showing no immediate signs of abating, the state administration has appealed to citizens to stay indoors unless necessary.

Rescue teams of the SDRF, NDRF and the Army have beendeployed in vulnerable areas.

Officials warned that water levels in rivers across Konkan and Vidarbha could rise further amid incessant showers.