After the rain fury claimed lives of over 20 people in Ratnagiri in July last year, the district administration has installed a Real-Time Data Acquisition (RTDA) System at various places for effective communication about flooding and landslides, a senior official said. Ratnagiri is a coastal district in Maharashtra, located over 300 km from the state capital Mumbai, and witnesses heavy rainfall during the monsoon season.

Last year, Chiplun town in Ratnagiri was among the worst-hit by heavy rains. Among the over 20 deceased in the district included eight COVID-19 patients who had died in a hospital after flood waters entered the premises. The human casualties and financial losses prompted the district administration to put up a system, for data collection, analysis and issuing alerts, which can work when traditional communication channels fail, Ratnagiri Collector Dr B N Patil told PTI.