Nagpur rains: Flood-affected families to get Rs 10,000, upto Rs 5 lakh relief for bigger establishments, says Devendra Fadnavis

Pic/PTI

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced compensation of Rs 10,000 for flood-affected families and those whose small roadside establishments were damaged in heavy rains in Nagpur and upto Rs 5 lakh for bigger shops, reported news agency PTI.

Vidarbha's largest city witnessed extremely heavy rainfall in the early hours of the day, with 90 millimetres being recorded between 2am and 4am, officials said.

Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is the local MP, chaired a review meeting on the flood situation in Nagpur late in the evening.

Speaking to reporters, Devendra Fadnavis said flood water entered as many as 10,000 houses.

All emergency and rescue teams as well as the administrative machinery have been put on high alert as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the city, Devendra Fadnavis said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday morning took stock of the rain situation in Nagpur and visited homes to interact with lood-affected families.

Extremely heavy rainfall of 109 millimetres in three hours, including 90 mm between 2am and 4am on Saturday, inundated several areas of the city, he said.

The National Disaster Response Force and its state counterpart SDRF are undertaking rescue and relief operations across Vidarbha's largest city, he informed.

"As many as 10,000 homes have been affected. Mud has entered houses. The administration is providing medicines and help in cleaning up flood affected areas. The level of damage is serious. The amount of rainfall was higher than carrying capacity of the area," he told reporters.

"We could have minimised the damage if some measures were taken earlier. The IMD had given an orange alert but it could not predict this much rain would fall in such a short time. There is always something to learn from such disasters," he said.

In the morning, Fadnavis visited areas in the vicinity of Ambazari Lake, the city's largest waterbody, which breached its boundaries on Saturday due to heavy rains.

"The protective wall and others structures of Nag river will have to be rebuilt. The state government will also plan some infrastructure to minimise the damage when Ambazari Lake overflows," Fadnavis informed.

Four persons, including a 53-year-old paralysed, bedridden woman, died in rain-related incidents, while more than 400 people had to be shifted to safety on Saturday.

(With inputs from PTI)