4 lakh evacuated in Maha; water receding in Sangli, Kolhapur

Over four lakh people have been evacuated to safer places from flood-affected parts of Maharashtra in last five days, including 3.78 lakh from the worst-hit Kolhapur and Sangli districts where water began to recede slowly on Saturday.

A total of 30 persons died in rain-related incidents in five districts of western Maharashtra in the last one week, including 12 who drowned when a boat capsized in Sangli.

The situation in western Maharashtra is likely to improve as five lakh cusec of water was being discharged from Almatti dam on the Krishna river in Karnataka, officials said. The backwaters of the dam are spread in Maharashtra.

The discharge from Koyna (Satara) and Radhanagari (Kolhapur) dams stood at 77,987 cusec and 7,112 cusec, respectively, a state government statement said.

According to the statement, 4,24,333 people have been evacuated across the state. A total of 761 villages in 69 tehsils are affected by floods.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the rescue