Tragedy strikes Nagpur as floods claim lives
Nagpur faced a devastating flood on Saturday, resulting in the loss of lives and livestock. Four individuals tragically lost their lives, while fourteen heads of cattle perished in the deluge. Rescue teams valiantly saved approximately 400 residents from the floodwaters.
The city was inundated with a staggering 109 mm of rainfall, with a massive 90 mm falling within just two hours. Ambazari, Gore-wada, and Sonegaon lakes overflowed, and the Nag and Pili rivers breached their banks, causing flooding in adjacent areas. Such torrential rainfall and consequent flooding have not been witnessed in Nagpur for the past three decades.
In response to the crisis, the local administration declared a holiday for schools and colleges, taking precautionary measures to ensure safety. The city had previously experienced inundations in 1994 and 2013, indicating the recurrent nature of such challenges.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis convened a meeting with top officials in the evening to assess the situation. Subsequently, they announced compensation for the flood victims. The names of the deceased were disclosed as Mirabai Kappuswami (70) of Mahesh Nagar, Sandhya Dhore (50) of Surendragarh, and Sanjay Gadegaonkar (52) of Ayodhya Nagar.
The floods disrupted transportation, with ten trains experiencing delays of over an hour due to flooding on three platforms at Nagpur Junction Railway Station. The remaining trains were redirected to the remaining five platforms. The Mor Bhavan bus stand was severely waterlogged, affecting city bus services. Traffic on most city roads remained sparse until noon. Notably, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) units, divided into seven groups, successfully rescued 400 citizens. Among those rescued were forty students from a school for the hearing and speech-impaired and fifty inmates of the girls' hostel of LAD College.
The floodwaters infiltrated both slum areas and posh localities, leading to substantial damage to four-wheelers and two-wheelers. The Nagpur center of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of continued severe to moderate thunderstorms with lightning in isolated places across Nagpur, Bhandara, and Gondia districts. The city now faces the daunting task of recovering from this natural disaster.
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