Current situation on Maharashtra Floods and Landslides Date: 03-08-2021
Humanitarian Aid International (HAI) is constantly assessing the situation through its local member Dr. Ambedkar Sheti Vikas Va Sanshodhan Sanstha (ASVSS) and techno-humanitarian partner InventGrid. Lifesaving immediate relief assistance to the worst affected people in the districts of Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, and Sangli has also been initiated with the support from Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI), Himalaya Drug Company, and Lung Care Foundation. The current situation is summarized below.
Background: Maharashtra witnessed high-intensity floods due to the incessant rains over the past few weeks. At least 209 people have died due to the floods in Maharashtra and eight still remain missing. A total of 4,34,185 people from eight districts have been evacuated to safer places, as rescue operations continue.1Among the 209 fatalities, the Satara district reported 46 deaths, followed by 35 in Ratnagiri, 15 in Thane, seven in Kolhapur, four in Mumbai, three in Pune, four in Sindhudurg and two each in eastern Maharashtra's Wardha and Akola districts. A total of 3,221 animals have died2. Meanwhile, the floodwater has entered the roads and fields, submerging many areas of the Sangli district in Maharashtra making it hard for people to commute from one place to another. According to preliminary estimates, losses to public and private properties are over ₹4,000 crore ($53,88,00,000). Losses due to flooding in Kolhapur and Sangli are ₹700 crore ($94,290,000). Electricity infrastructure worth ₹1,200 crore ($ 16,16,40,000) has been damaged, while damage to roads and bridges is over ₹1,500 crore ($202,050,000). Crops across 338,000 hectares have been damaged in western Maharashtra and Konkan. The state relief is expected to cover all affected elements by widening the scope of the set norms.3 Maharashtra is now dealing with twin disasters, i.e., the floods in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. The floods have posed a grave threat to the healthcare of patients who are being treated in hospitals, covid care centres and in home isolation. Both rural and urban centres have been equally hit. The situation in Kolhapur and Sangli towns isn’t good, and they have been evacuated to safer places where the situation is better. Some serious cases have been shifted to city hospitals to ensure safety and extra care of the patients.
1 https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/breaking-news-updates-august-1-2021-101627774385570.html 2 https://www.india.com/maharashtra/maharashtra-rain-news-live-updates-25-july-2021-raigad-alert-death-toll-due- to-floods-landslides-mumbai-rain-forecast-4840332/ 3 https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/maharashtra-floods-toll-209-8-still-missing- 101627409419977.html Admin Office: 2nd Floor, Building No; H-753-A, Ansal's Palam Vihar, Near Metro Hospital, Gurugram - 122017, Haryana Email: [email protected] | Website: www.hai-india.org
Flood affected areas in Shirol block Kolhapur district, Maharashtra
Government Response in the current situation in flood affected areas:
● The rescue phase of the disaster is completed by government agencies, families will now require ongoing support from the government to tide over this crisis and rebuild their lives. ● Separate force on the lines of the NDRF will be set up in vulnerable districts to ensure a quicker response during natural disasters ● The rescue teams have evacuated 2,29,074 people so far with the highest number of 1,69,968 rescued from Sangli followed by 40,882 from Kolhapur4
Flood affected pictures from Chandoot Hatkangale Village, Kolhapur District
4 https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/maharashtra-floods-death-toll-raigad-landslide-7423183/ Admin Office: 2nd Floor, Building No; H-753-A, Ansal's Palam Vihar, Near Metro Hospital, Gurugram - 122017, Haryana Email: [email protected] | Website: www.hai-india.org
HAI’s response to save lives and restore normalcy (prioritizing the unmet needs): ● Started three community kitchens serving cooked food to at least 400 displaced population for five days ● Started drone-based loss and damage assessment in five villages in Sirol block, Kolhapur district ● Plan to distribute at least a week’s dry ration kit to at least 300 families targeting women headed households, marginal and landless farmers, families with disabled members and earning member in the family who is currently Covid-19 positive ● Plan to distribute hygiene kits along with Covid-19 safety kits including sanitary napkins for women and adolescent girls, sanitizers, masks, gloves, toothpastes, soaps etc. ● arranging feed and fodder for at least 300 surviving cattle and small livestock (goats and sheep) ● arranging drinking water and installing eight water filters on the existing handpumps to ensure safe drinking water in a weeks’ time ● Distribution of hygiene kits along with Covid-19 safety kits including sanitary napkins for women and adolescent girls, sanitizers, masks, gloves, toothpastes, soaps etc. ● deployment of volunteers to ensure adherence with Covid Appropriate Behaviour among IDPS, within and outside relief camps ● disinfecting public places using bleaching powder and sanitizing flood affected areas after the flood water recedes to avoid water borne diseases which shall be linked with cash for work/food for work programme ● setting up temporary isolation centres for people showing Covid-19 symptoms ● Medicines for COVID-19 positive patients for two weeks in 21 villages ● Providing protective gears to the on-field members ● Providing interim shelter and NFI support to IDPs not getting shelter in relief camps with focus on nomadic population Long term plans:
● Livelihood restoration support to marginal farmers and the families having lost their family members with agricultural inputs to start micro-scale business ● Community based disaster preparedness
Establishing community kitchen in Danwad village, Shirol block, Kolhapur district
Admin Office: 2nd Floor, Building No; H-753-A, Ansal's Palam Vihar, Near Metro Hospital, Gurugram - 122017, Haryana Email: [email protected] | Website: www.hai-india.org
Drone-based loss and damage assessment in Herwad village, Sirol block, Kolhapur district
Please visit our campaign here if willing to support our flood response: https://hai- india.org/maharashtra-floods-and-landslides/
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Sitrep prepared by Bipasha Mukherjee [email protected] HAI-Project Officer with inputs from ASVSS and representatives from the flood- affected villages
Admin Office: 2nd Floor, Building No; H-753-A, Ansal's Palam Vihar, Near Metro Hospital, Gurugram - 122017, Haryana Email: [email protected] | Website: www.hai-india.org