Over 3,000 people shifted to safety amid heavy rains in Gadchiroli

NAGPUR: Over 3,000 people from 29 villages in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district have been shifted to safety as a precaution due to incessant rainfall in the region, an official said on Thursday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the district for the day, with a forecast of heavy to moderate showers in various parts, he said.

According to the disaster management cell, the Godavari, Kaleshwaram, and Indravati rivers in the district are flowing above the danger level, while Wainganga, Pranhita, and Wardha rivers are inching close to the warning level. People living near these rivers have been asked to remain alert to the possibility of flooding, it was stated.

People in villages of Aheri and Sironcha talukas who live near rivers are being shifted to safer places on a war footing, as 12.47 cusecs of water from Yellampalli dam has been released into Godavari river, the report by disaster cell stated. Apart from this, more than a dozen routes in the district were blocked due to swelling nullahs and damages to the bridges, it said. As many as 3,033 people from 29 villages have been shifted to help centers so far, and no rain-related casualties have been reported in the district in the last two days, the report said. According to the district information office, Gadchiroli district received an average rainfall of 45.1 mm till 11.45 am on Thursday. The region has received 678.3 mm of rain to date from June 1.